


Remedy

by JennaLee



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Anal Sex, Dirty Talk, Dry Humping, Face-Sitting, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oral Sex, Rimming, Smut, The boys can't take a hint, handjobs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-05-25 23:18:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6214165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennaLee/pseuds/JennaLee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhett likes to take care of Link when he hurts himself.<br/>It takes them a little longer than it should to realize what's happening between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Link got hurt a lot. That was nothing new.

“Why is it always me?” he’d complain as Rhett helped him unwrap a bandage or clean a cut or ice a goose egg on his head where he’d whacked it against an open cupboard. Rhett would just shake his head and chuckle once he was sure Link really wasn’t hurt badly. Both of them were used to it. 

“You just need to be more careful,” Rhett would lecture. Link was clumsy and apt to injure himself doing something trivial, like running down a street or lifting a rock. Rhett had lost count of how many boxes of Band-Aids he’d gone through or how many times he’d used the anti-septic in his car’s first aid kit on Link. Rhett had always liked to be the one to take care of his friend even if Link was perfectly capable of treating himself. If there were other people with them, Link would put up a weak protest and claim that Rhett was babying him too much, but he never said a word against it when they were alone. They both seemed to enjoy the arrangement. Like many facets of their relationship, it simply _worked_ , and that was all that mattered.

But one day, without warning, things began to unfold rather differently.

The first time it happened, Rhett was working at his desk, lost in concentration and tapping his fingers rhythmically on his thigh as Link tromped around on some mission of his own, talking animatedly with the crew and laughing in his boyish way. Rhett was ignoring the noise with practiced ease when suddenly Link’s giggles turned into a startled high-pitched whoop. Rhett jerked out of his daze like he’d been slapped and turned just in time to see Link coming through the doorway, arms windmilling wildly as he tripped and fell forward. A tinkling crash followed a split-second later as Link’s coffee mug smashed into a million pieces on the floor. Coffee splattered across the rug and up the wall. Rhett barely had time to gasp as his brain absorbed the shock of what had just happened.

“Oh, my goodness,” the brunet said from the floor, his voice muffled by how it was pressed into the arm that broke his fall. “I think I fell.” His other limbs were splayed everywhere like a marionette with its strings cut. 

Rhett couldn’t contain himself. He tossed back his head and bellowed laughter at the ceiling until he lost his breath and bent over his desk, wheezing. He knew Link hadn’t seriously hurt himself. Through his own helpless laughter, he could hear Link grumbling about people leaving things in the middle of the studio. 

“Laugh at my pain, go on. You’re cold, man,” Link said, feigning a forlorn tone. His glasses were askew and a piece of his hair was sticking straight out in the front. “Cold as ice. Look what you did!”

“What I did?” Rhett collected himself and looked where Link was gesturing. A tiny stab of guilt pierced his heart and made the grin slide off his face as he saw that Link had tripped over his laptop bag, which he had failed to tuck completely off to the side in the doorway. “Aw, crap. I’m sorry.”

“You should be! That was my bad shoulder.” Link rubbed at said shoulder with an exaggerated pout that let Rhett know it wasn’t that painful. But when he touched his elbow Link sucked in a sharp breath of very real pain and looked down at it, startled. “Ow. Dangit, that really does hurt.” 

“Are you bleeding?” Rhett asked in a more gentle tone. “Do I need to bust out the trusty first aid kit? Let’s have a look.”

“I don’t think so?” Gingerly, Link bent his arm to peer at his elbow. “Oh, wow. Rug burn. Floor burn, I guess. And, oh – a little cut, here.”

“Doesn’t look too bad,” was Rhett’s official judgment as he scrutinized the area. “I’ll get a Band-Aid. Don’t worry. Doctor McLaughlin is on the scene.”

“Doctor McLaughlin should go back to medical school,” Link said dryly as the taller man opened a bandage and carefully covered the minuscule cut. “I don’t think it’s gonna bleed any more than that.”

Rhett ignored the grouchy comment. “Better?”

“Stings a bit. I’m fine.” Link ducked his head and began to fuss over the shards of coffee mug until Rhett gave in and grabbed paper towels to help.

“I can clean this up, man,” Rhett offered as he started to blot the tiny puddles sprayed across the floor. “It was my fault you tripped. Plus, I’m not so sure I trust you around sharp objects.”

Link ignored this and dumped the shards into the trash bin. He got down on all fours and wedged an arm behind the desk, wielding a dampened paper towel and a determined look as he scrubbed the hidden coffee splatters. Rhett just shook his head and grabbed the broom to collect the finer shards of glass. It didn’t take too long for things to look perfect again. Link was efficient when it came to cleaning.

Link sat back on his heels and brushed the hair from his face. “Help me up?” he asked, holding his hands up and wiggling his fingers pleadingly. 

“You don’t need help. You’re just milking it now.” Rhett grabbed his hands and helped him anyway. Link easily bounced to his feet and smoothed his hair into place. 

“My elbow still hurts. Kiss it better,” Link commanded, and Rhett was so sure that he meant to sound playful. Like a king issuing an order from his throne. The little hitch in his voice was probably just a tickle in Link’s throat. Not nerves. Why would he be nervous? Rhett felt a rush of giddy embarrassment and quickly turned it into a joke before Link caught his suspicious reaction. He smiled and pursed his lips exaggeratedly, smacking them together until Link giggled. “Fish lips,” he said, holding out his arm. “Don’t leave me hangin’, bo.”

The irritated red mark didn’t look nearly as bad as some of the injuries Link had over the years. Likely, the man would forget it all by the time he got home. Rhett bent his head over the area anyway, feeling faintly ridiculous. He meant to either mime a kiss from an inch away or make a loud smooching sound to be comical, but instead his lips brushed softly against his friend’s skin. Something made Rhett pause then, his mouth not quite against Link’s arm, his beard still touching the smaller man’s skin. He waited for three quick beats of his heart to press his lips firmly to the skin. 

“ _Oh,_ ” Link breathed. When he looked up Link’s eyes were almost closed and he looked strangely blissful. His full pink lips were parted slightly and Rhett felt a strong urge to kiss them, too. It wasn’t the first time he’d thought about it – it was hard not to notice how nice Link’s lips were – but it had always been in a flippant way, like how he sometimes thought about being a famous country singer instead of a Youtube personality or what it would feel like to fall from a very great height. The sort of thoughts that everybody had but nobody voiced. 

_You’re crazy,_ Rhett told himself firmly. 

Link’s eyes opened and connected with Rhett’s as the taller man gently placed his friend’s arm back at his side. His mouth opened to speak but nothing came out. He looked at his arm, and back to Rhett.

“All better?” Rhett forced out, trying to get a hold of his thoughts. His head was swimming gently like he’d had a few glasses of wine. He wanted to ask Link what had just happened, but lacked the ability to process it himself.

“What – I – yeah, it is.” Link swallowed and glanced away, blinking rapidly. Then his face smoothed out again like a curtain falling over a stage. “Just try not to kill me at work again, okay?” Now he sounded so much like himself that Rhett had to wonder if he’d imagined what had just happened, or if Link’s stunned look was just his version of a joke. The latter was a much more plausible explanation anyway, given Link’s high spirits and strange sense of humour.

“Doctor McLaughlin has the magic touch,” declared Rhett dramatically, and something loosened in his belly when Link laughed normally. Though it seemed to him that the brunet was very carefully avoiding direct eye contact.

“Right, your magic fish lips.” Link inspected his elbow again. “I guess that could have been worse. I bet it was funny to see me trip, huh?”

“Pretty funny, man, but I’m just glad you’re okay,” Rhett told him amiably, and that was that.

By the time Link dropped him off at his front gate later that evening, it seemed as though it had never happened. 

That night Rhett tossed and turned, lost in half-formed pleasant dreams of writhing between cool sheets with a familiar slim brunet in his arms with skin that felt like silk beneath his big hands. _Link, let me take care of you, let me touch you._ His lips ghosted over Link’s neck, his face, his chest. Link’s pulse fluttered beneath his touch. _Oh, oh,_ the man moaned breathily, and Rhett’s arousal could no longer be contained. He rutted and kissed and licked and finally woke up at three in the morning with his manhood stiff and throbbing. Half-awake and half-aware he stumbled into the bathroom and masturbated quickly in the dark, confused and desperate and thinking of the way Link’s voice had sounded when Rhett kissed his arm.

The details had mostly slipped away by the morning, leaving Rhett with only the vague memory that it had been a decidedly sexual dream about his best friend. Rhett was undaunted. It was only natural to dream of the person he spent so much time with. Link was _always_ in his dreams, whether he was dreaming of riding horses or stealing cars or swimming at the beach. People thought up all kinds of crazy things in their dreams. 

Nonetheless, Rhett felt faintly strange all morning. As if he was missing something obvious or forgetting to do something like put on deodorant or brush his teeth. 

When Link picked him up for work, he was sunny and cheerful, wearing a plaid shirt and a megawatt smile. Rhett looked at those big eyes as blue as the California sky and his chest suddenly felt tight as he remembered how they’d closed in bliss when Rhett kissed his arm.

**

The second time didn’t happen for two weeks.

Rhett had noticed something odd about his office but couldn’t tell what it was for most of the day. When he came back from eating lunch, he happened to look up and finally realized what the problem was. One of the two bulbs in the light fixture was dark. _No problem,_ he thought to himself. _There are spare bulbs somewhere around here._

Finding the bulbs ended up being easy, but the stool he found ended up being far too short to reach the light fixture. Rhett was unaccustomed to not being able to reach things, and he frowned as he surveyed the situation. He attempted roll a desk chair over and stand on that, but quickly realized how dangerous it was as he tried to stand upright. His fear of heights suddenly overwhelmed him and he wobbled alarmingly. _What in the world are you doing?_ he chastised himself. The last thing he needed was to get light-headed and fall off the chair. 

Rhett frowned up at the light fixture as if it had personally offended him. He’d have to get the big ladder. Not as big as the one he’d climbed in the GMM episode where they’d tried to see if he and Link could smell fear. He hated that stupid ladder. All he needed was the six-foot ladder he knew they had lying around somewhere. He hated that too – it creaked alarmingly under his weight – but someone had to change the bulb, and he’d be damned if he had to go ask one of their employees for help. 

The step stool used to be his friend. There were few situations that required a man to stand taller than eight feet. Rhett glared at the stool and gave it a kick with his foot to forcefully propel it back into the corner from whence it came.

“Want some help?”

Rhett spun around. Link was leaning in the doorway, drinking from his mug and surveying the scene with amusement. 

“What did that poor stool ever do to you?” the brunet asked mildly.

“It’s too darn small,” Rhett answered grumpily. “There’s a light out up there.”

“I see it. There’s a real ladder, you know,” Link observed. “Not the one we use on set – the six foot one.”

“I know.”

“I could do it, if you’re scared.” 

Rhett winced. “Would you? Please?”

“Anything for you, man.” Link set his mug on the nearest table and disappeared from the room. He was back in minutes with the little ladder casually held under his arm, trying to whistle.

“Be careful,” Rhett admonished. “I’ll hand you the bulb. Don’t try to climb with it. Keep at least three contact points on the ladder at all times. You gotta – ”

Link giggled. “Rhett, I know how to climb a ladder. I was up cleanin’ roof gutters all day Saturday.”

Rhett stood by and watched anxiously as Link scaled the short ladder calmly and unscrewed the dead bulb. He took it from Link’s hands and passed him the new one.

“See? Nothin’ to it.” Link tore the bulb from its cardboard box and tossed the empty package at Rhett’s head. It missed wildly and neither man seemed surprised. Then he lowered his hands to the top of the ladder and began to climb down with exaggerated care as if to show Rhett how safe it was. 

Rhett began to relax, but just when he thought everything would be okay, he noticed Link’s right foot.

His shoe was untied. 

Rhett opened his mouth to warn him and the words stuck in his throat. He saw it happen in slow motion. Link’s right foot coming down, his dirty white laces untied and splayed out across the third rung of the ladder. He stepped on the laces with the heel of his left foot. His right foot lifted and got caught, pulling the man off balance. Link’s body jerked awkwardly as he tried to find his footing but it was too late. The ladder skidded across the floor as Link fell straight back.

Rhett was already lunging forward, arms outstretched, anticipating Link coming down backwards. But somehow Link was turning to catch himself with his arms, and he collided with Rhett chest-to-chest with a short _oof_ sound.

Rhett’s breath left him in a pained gasp as he wrapped his arms around Link. Their bodies were pressed flush against each other. Link smelled like sweat and soap and peppermint. He clutched at Rhett desperately, and Rhett could sense his delayed rush of fear and adrenaline.

“Whoa,” Link breathed. “Whoa. I almost really wiped out there.” He turned his face to press his cheek into Rhett’s chest. Rhett could feel the man’s breath puffing warmly against his shirt. “Oh, my gosh.”

“Jesus, Link!” was all Rhett had. “Are you okay?”

Link nodded. “Did I hurt _you_?” His voice was struggling to stay even. “I fell into you pretty hard.”

“Just got the wind knocked out of me. You’re heavier than you look.” Rhett tried to smile and wondered if he should make a joke, but the atmosphere didn’t seem right. Link turned his head and looked up at him, his chin nestled in the line between Rhett’s pecs. His forehead glistened with sweat and Rhett felt the sudden urge to lean in and kiss him there. The scent of Link’s hair filled his nose and comforted him. It felt good to know that Link was safe in his arms. That the man trusted and needed him. Rhett’s arms tightened around his friend.

“Rhett?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re holding me kinda tight.” 

“I know.”

Link peered up at him over the rims of his glasses, looking perplexed and more than a little flustered. “Why?”

Rhett swallowed hard. Link sounded genuinely curious and wasn’t struggling. The lithe body clutched in his arms felt tense and he could feel Link’s heartbeat still pounding quickly. He couldn’t answer the question. “I’ll let go,” he said quickly, but made no move to do so. To his surprise Link stayed where he was, calm and comfortable, his face in the front of Rhett’s shirt.

After another minute, Rhett broke the silence. “Link?”

“Yeah.”

“What are you doing?”

“What are _you_ doing?” Link countered, stubborn as always.

“Making you feel better.” Rhett cleared his throat. “Like…like last time.”

Link sucked in a sharp breath and Rhett broke a sudden sweat at how quickly the tension thickened. The world around him was becoming extremely vivid; Rhett could suddenly feel and see the tiniest details. He could feel Link’s eyelashes brushing lightly against the front of his shirt and hear the wet sound he made as he gulped nervously. Link’s forehead was creased in either confusion or concentration. Without pausing to think Rhett bent to press his mouth just over Link’s eyebrow. 

The skin was warm beneath his lips. The rim of Link’s glasses bumped up against Rhett’s chin. He held himself there for what seemed like an eternity, his head swimming and spinning with vertigo.

“Rhett…”

“I’m just kissin’ it better,” Rhett mumbled. “Like last time. Wanna help you feel good.”

“I didn’t even…hit my head.” Link answered after a beat. He sounded dazed.

“I know. But did it help?”

“Yeah, I…yeah, it did.” Link moved forward suddenly. They were pressed impossibly closer, hips angling to fit together just right, Rhett’s hands naturally lifting back up to hold Link’s waist with every intention of keeping them there. But the noise Link made – a muffled whimper that died in his throat – made something devious take over Rhett’s mind. Before he knew what he was doing, his hands were reaching around, sliding to Link’s lower back and splaying his fingers wide and moving over the point where the trim torso began to swell outward into the curve of the man’s rear. Link’s belt buckle, or maybe the button of his pants, poked into Rhett’s thigh firmly. At least, that was Rhett’s first thought. When he realized what was going on, he froze, stunned. 

“Oh,” was all he could say. “Link, you’re – ” Rhett lifted his thigh to get a better feel. His own body began to respond in kind.

Then Link jerked away like Rhett’s touch burned. He hastily retreated several steps. “What the…” he began, his eyes huge and glassy with shock.

“Link – ” Rhett began helplessly, feeling his cheeks turn bright red. What the hell was he doing? “I didn’t – ”

“I gotta go,” Link managed, taking a panicked step backward. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean – it doesn’t matter.” His eyes glanced at the door.. “I…phone…Call. Gotta call – someone back. Forgot to do it earlier. Gonna – yeah. Go downstairs? To use the washroom. I mean, phone.” 

“Link, wait! It’s okay!’

But he bolted like a deer and was gone before Rhett could finish speaking.

Rhett made no move to follow, still staring at the wall where Link had been moments ago. He felt embarrassed, almost guilty. He placed a hand on his chest where Link’s face had been. It was still warm with the man’s breath. Rhett’s semi-hard cock gave an interested twitch.

_What the heck was that?_

**

The third time didn’t happen for over a week. During the interlude, Rhett tried to act as if the incident with the ladder had never happened. Link, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to brush it aside. He began to avoid Rhett whenever possible and kept leaving whenever Rhett tried to corner him alone. Every morning he woke to a text from Link, explaining that he had gotten up early and decided to drive himself into work. It was driving the bigger man crazy. Not that he had some grand plan on what to say if Link gave him a chance. He couldn’t decide between feigning ignorance, or claiming to understand that a physical reaction to being hugged was perfectly normal and not a cause for alarm – or, perhaps most stupidly, admitting that he too had gotten a little…well, excited.

By Thursday, Rhett was sick of the barrier between them. He woke an hour early and sent a firm text: _On my way. Be ready in 15._

He drove with his face set and his stomach churning, hoping that Link would be able to bury the hatchet. 

“Morning!” Link called into the passenger window before turning to blow a kiss to Christy and Lily in the doorway. Rhett smiled and waved, then handed Link a paper bag as the man slid into the seat beside him.

“What’s this?” Link inspected it. “Smells good.”

“Cookies.” _A peace offering._

“Cookies? From where?”

“From home. Home made.”

“Jessie made cookies?”

Rhett fixed his eyes on the road ahead. “I made cookies, okay?”

Link giggled but cut it short by pressing his lips together. “Well, uh. Thanks? Are they any good?”

“What does that mean? I’m not the one who can’t even crack an egg right. I can make cookies.”

“It doesn’t mean anything. But if you’re givin’ ‘em away – ”

“I had a bunch already. Just thought you might like one.”

“Am I being pranked? Did you put hot peppers in the middle, or something?” Link squeezed the bag suspiciously. “Is this a booby-trapped cookie?” The corners of his mouth quirked up at the word _booby_ and Rhett couldn’t help but grin.

“It’s peanut butter chocolate chip.” Rhett’s traitorous brain conjured up an image of Link eating a hot pepper unsuspectingly. His jaw would drop and then his face would contort, and Rhett could – could reach over and pat his shoulder comfortingly, helping him through the burn as he gasped and whined, tug him closer to give him a little hug for comfort – 

Rhett quickly shook his head, ashamed of himself. Did he _want_ to see Link hurt? What in the world was wrong with him? 

Link squinted at the bag and carefully extracted a single cookie, gooey and still warm, soft like Rhett knew Link liked them. 

“Well, come on, try it!” Rhett demanded, stealing glances every time he stopped at a red light. 

Obediently, Link took a small bite. Then his eyes widened and he took a larger one. “Wow, Rhett! These are actually really good! Dang, man!”

“ _Dang, man!_ ” Rhett imitated Link’s high-pitched voice with a laugh, giddy at the man’s positive reaction. 

“I can’t believe you made cookies. What’s the occasion?” 

“Can’t I just do something nice for you?”

Link looked absurdly pleased. “It was for me?”

Rhett shrugged, embarrassed.

Link touched his shoulder and Rhett felt butterflies dance in the depths of his stomach. “Thanks, Rhett,” he smiled.

“Anything for you,” Rhett returned, thinking that he’d cook for Link’s every meal for the rest of their lives if it meant that the smaller man would turn that bright crooked smile in his direction. “So are we cool?”

Link stared at the road ahead and put a whole cookie in his mouth. After what seemed like an hour of chewing, he finally swallowed and simply replied, “Sure.”

And easy as that, it was over. Everything went back to normal. 

For a few days, at least.

**

Their routine settled back into place. Every morning they’d drive into work together, laughing and joking like they used to. Rhett tried very hard to forget about his newfound feelings and simply be the friend that he was supposed to be.

One day at work, the sound of the coffee maker gurgling brought Rhett out of his office and into the small kitchenette where he found Link, his back to the door, bent over the sink to rinse out their mugs. Rhett tried not to stare at Link’s firm round butt but it was proving to be very difficult. He gave a tiny cough of embarrassment. Link’s rear end had always been hard to ignore. Rhett had always told himself that it was natural to stare a bit. Link liked showing it off, so what was the problem with having a look? It was only natural to appreciate a good butt. It didn’t mean anything. But now, he wasn’t so sure.

Link took both of their mugs out and pre-filled them with cream and sugar – less in Rhett’s mug, like always. He began to hum to himself as he put the container of cream back in the fridge and returned to the counter to fetch the coffee pot. He poured his own mug first and twirled the spoon to stir it. As his humming turned into mumbled singing, Rhett realized with amusement that Link still hadn’t heard him come in. He almost broke into full laughter when he recognized the tune of the Rihanna song that was all over the radio.

Link’s butt shimmied from side to side as he danced along and Rhett’s laughter died before it could escape his mouth. As he watched, mesmerized, Link rolled his hips expertly, _sensually_ , nothing like his exaggerated comic dance moves he’d do on camera for a joke. Rhett imagined his hands on Link’s hips, pulling him closer as Link grinded back seductively, that butt moving in little circles and brushing over Rhett’s –

 _Stop it, stop it right there, Rhett._ “Thanks for making coffee, Link!” he announced loudly over the man’s singing as if he’d just walked in.

“Rhett?” Link yelped in surprise and pivoted where he stood. “How long have you been – whoa!” He overbalanced and his free hand shot forward to instinctively grab hold of the counter. 

Rhett began to laugh, but was quickly drowned out by a very real shriek of pain from his friend. The sound made him freeze, adrenaline sparking wildly in his body. “Link, what hap– ”

“Ow!” Link choked out, and Rhett saw that the man had managed to grab the coffee pot burner instead of the counter. The brunet was frozen in place, hand held stiffly over the sink. The pads of his fingers were already turning bright red.

“Oh, god, Link! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!”

“Ow,” Link groaned again. “Ah, crap, that hurts!” He made as if to straighten up again.

“Link, you’re shaking, put down your cup – ”

Link’s other hand was still clutching his mug, but his fingers had begun to tremble. He held it to his body to steady himself and hot coffee splashed out onto his chest and soaked into his shirt.

“Link!” Rhett cried, panicked. Link opened his mouth wordlessly as the shock of the burn made his mug tremble even more violently, splashing more onto his stomach now. He yelped and thrust the mug into the sink where it spilled safely down the drain. Before Link had the chance to move, Rhett was on him, furiously yanking at Link’s shirt and pulling it away from his body and up and over his head. Link struggled and spluttered for a second but quickly realized what Rhett was doing and put his arms up to help get the garment off.

“How bad is it!” Rhett nearly shouted as he threw the shirt to the floor. “How bad – ”

“It didn’t get me too much, it’s fine – ” Link blinked, looking amazed and a little self-conscious. “What are you – ”

“Cold water!” Rhett ordered aggressively, grabbing Link’s bare shoulder and pulling him toward the sink. He turned on the cold faucet and a little bit of warm to take the edge off and seized Link’s burned hand first, thrusting it beneath the water. “Hold it there! Where does it hurt?”

“I don’t know.” Link was still goggling at Rhett, startled by the mingled panic and authority in his friend’s voice. He looked down at himself. “Right here on my chest where the little red spot is, I guess. It’s okay, Rhett. I’m fine, really. You don’t have to yell.” He began to sound a little more normal and even managed a smile. 

Rhett completely ignored this. “You stay here. Keep your hand in the cool water. We gotta cool the burn down. Then we’re gonna get you bandaged up properly. _I’m_ going to bandage you up properly.” It was his job to take care of Link, after all, and he figured that was even more true when he was the cause of the injury.

“The water feels good,” Link admitted, waggling his reddened fingers in the stream. “Takin’ the sting out.”

“Burn gel,” Rhett said to himself. “I gotta get the burn gel. Stay here. Don’t move.”

Rhett found the first aid kit and carried the whole thing back to the kitchenette at top speed, where Link obediently leaned against the counter at Rhett’s instruction with his hand under the flow of cool water. He was fighting to look calm but Rhett could see his chest heaving as he breathed quickly and shallowly. It wasn’t the worst injury Rhett had seen the man inflict on himself but he knew part of Link’s shock was the residual effects of being startled by Rhett himself. Link hated surprises and being sneaked up on, and Rhett guessed that feeling was especially strong when the man was in the middle of doing something potentially embarrassing. 

“Hey, doctor,” Link teased faintly. “Here to save my life again?”

“Yep.” Rhett quickly wet a cloth with cool water and held it against the brightest red patch on his chest. Link shivered as freezing droplets trickled down, but didn’t resist.

“Cold,” he complained. “’M cold all over now.”

“I’m sorry,” Rhett told him, suddenly feeling on the verge of tears. “Link, I am so, so sorry. This is all my fault. I made you burn yourself, jeeze.”

“Nah,” Link mumbled, “just me bein’ clumsy as usual.”

“I made you jump.” Rhett reached out and wet the cloth again, this time bringing it to a lighter pink patch at the base of Link’s ribs. 

“My fault for not paying attention. You didn’t mean to sneak up on me, right?”

“No,” Rhett admitted, though he had in fact taken Link’s ignorance for an opportunity to ogle him. But how to confess to that without sounding like the world’s biggest pervert? His hand inadvertently squeezed the cloth he was holding against Link’s stomach. The water dripped over the front of Link’s pants. “Sorry,” Rhett said again. “I’ll grab a towel…”

“Hmm?” 

“Your, ah –” Rhett pointed delicately at the now-wet crotch of Link’s jeans and hurriedly looked away as if to prove that he was not a total creep.

Link’s cheeks turned as pink as the burn on his belly, but the look of embarrassment quickly faded when he looked down to see what Rhett was pointing at. “Oh,” he said, chuckling a bit with what sounded like relief. “Don’t worry about that, I have other pants here.”

“How does your hand feel?”

“Pretty numb now.” Link lifted it out of the sink to inspect. “It’s a bit red, huh? I don’t think it’s that bad. Might blister a bit on my one finger here, but I doubt it. No worse than a little sunburn.”

“We’ll put some gel on it and get it wrapped up. Then make sure you don’t break the blister.”

“You, of all people, givin’ me medical advice? Mr. I-Bite-My-Blisters is tellin’ me how to take care of ‘em?” Link quirked an eyebrow.

“That’s Mr. _Bit_ -My-Blisters. I did that as a _kid,_ ” Rhett protested. “Now c’mere and let me get you gelled up. Keep your hand in the water, just try and turn your torso this way.” Rhett squirted some of the cool gel onto his fingers.

“My hand’s getting wrinkly,” Link complained. “I think it’s fine. Really, the coffee maker doesn’t get that hot. Can I turn the water off?”

“Fine,” Rhett relented, even though they both knew Link didn’t need permission to do anything. Link also didn’t mention that he could easily apply the burn gel himself. “Turn the water off then. And stay still.”

“Okay,” Link agreed easily. “Lube me up, brother.” He giggled and looked expectantly at Rhett. The taller man fought to hide the interest on his face and forced a laugh.

“You’re crazy, Link,” Rhett told him. At least Link seemed to be in a good mood. He brought the tips of his fingers to the pink splotch on Link’s belly and lightly rubbed a layer of the clear gel over it. Link jumped and giggled at the first touch but stayed still enough for Rhett to finish the task.

“There’s one,” Rhett murmured after he was certain the spot was covered. “Then there’s this one, by your – ”

“My nipple,” Link said with some glee.

“Yep, right here.” Rhett massaged more gel on the second burn, keeping his touch feather light. He fixed his eyes on the little pink nub as he dabbed more Burn-Aid on. He couldn’t help but move closer to Link’s nipple, and then something stupid took over his brain and he rubbed his thumb over it. It glided easily, the gel slick on Link’s skin, and Link shivered a bit when Rhett moved his thumb in a small circle. The nipple began to harden beneath Rhett’s touch, maybe in response to the cold, maybe in response to the stimulation, until –

“Ah!” Link pulled away with a grin. “I don’t think my actual nipple got burned, Rhett. What are you doing?”

Rhett flushed red – had he really gotten distracted from dressing his best friend’s burns by the sight of his nipple? What on earth was wrong with him? He gazed into Link’s wide blue eyes, suddenly weak-kneed at the open trust he saw there.

“Last one,” Rhett bit out. He cupped the indent of Link’s waist and turned him sideways to access the most faint of pink marks high up on his ribs. It probably wasn’t even a burn at all. How could Link have gotten coffee there? Link leaned into Rhett’s touch anyway, exhaling loudly. His head leaned forward and rested on Rhett’s shoulder.

“Mmm,” Link sighed. “You’re so gentle.”

“Of course I am.” Rhett held back the _I love you_ that came to his lips and instead said, “You’re my best friend, man, I’ll do anything for you.”

“What about this burn here?” Link asked. Rhett thought he sounded more playful than inquisitive, but paid it no mind.

“What burn?”

“My other nipple,” Link replied evenly, and Rhett froze. The man had just said that those weren’t injured at all. Did he _want_ –

“Oops,” Rhett said quickly. “Forgot about it.”

“That’s okay, Doctor.” Link straightened up again and regarded Rhett with a curious expression. “Let me, uh…lean back against the wall? I feel a little…weak. Yeah, that’s it.”

Rhett put his hands on Link’s shoulders and backed him up the few short steps to the wall, and every inappropriate thought in the world sprang into his mind because oh, to push Link against a wall like this for real, his skin bared for Rhett’s eyes to drink in. But then he realized that it _was_ real. Link _was_ half-naked, and willing, and wanting Rhett to touch him for no other reason other than that they both wanted it –

“ _Rhett,_ ” Link moaned as the taller man’s fingers caressed the topical burn gel over the imaginary injury on his nipple. Rhett’s free hand moved down to touch the jut of Link’s hip. The brunet arched his chest into the touch and looked at Rhett from under heavily hooded eyes. _Bedroom_ eyes, jesus. 

Rhett swallowed very hard as he recognized the look Link was giving him. The smaller man’s gaze flickered down to Rhett’s mouth and back again.

Rhett kissed Link’s temple first, lips lingering on the skin. Link actually moaned and his head tilted back. His neck was golden and smooth and Rhett wanted to know what it tasted like, if Link liked teeth grazing him just beneath his ear the way Rhett liked on himself. But first – Link’s sensual pink mouth was right there, waiting, wanting, moist from the chap stick he liked so much. Rhett mentally steeled himself as he bent forward slowly to give Link a chance to back away if it turned out he’d been reading his friend’s signals wrong the whole time. Link didn’t back down, just tilted his head to the side and –

With a sudden explosion of noise, Mike and Alex burst through the door, laughing together, Alex actually holding Mike’s hand loosely and grinning widely. Mike looked pleased, a smaller smile tugging at his lips. Then Alex turned and caught the scene before them and everybody went silent. 

Rhett pictured what it looked like – Link, shirtless and slightly dishevelled, his chest glistening with the gel as Rhett’s fingers rubbed his left nipple, his other hand holding Link in place by his hip. Alex’s mouth had dropped open slightly and Mike looked mildly embarrassed. 

“Hey, guys!” Link tried to smile brightly. “We were just – we were just, um, you know.”

“He hurt himself,” Rhett jumped in. “I’m putting burn gel on.”

“Right,” Link agreed hurriedly. “You gotta treat burns right away, you know.”

“That’s right,” Mike nodded. Alex nodded too. They exchanged a meaningful look.

“Just gotta get him bandaged up,” Rhett told them firmly. “We’ll be a few minutes, okay?”

“Okay,” Alex said slowly. “Okay. _Ocupado._ I get it. Um, that’s okay – we were – ”

“Just getting back to work,” Mike finished for him. “Bye!”

Their employees backed out of the room as quickly as they’d come. Rhett and Link stared at each other, dismayed and amused all at once.

Then Link burst out laughing and Rhett couldn’t help but join in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your kudos and comments spur me on! Thank you so much! I'm so grateful for everybody in this incredibly supportive fandom.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be a lot longer, but I've been being very slow lately. I wanted to share the first finished part!

After Mike and Alex had gone and the giddy laughter had faded, the spell cast over the two men seemed to have dissipated. Shocked by the intensity of his desire for Link and thrown completely off balance by the sudden appearance of their employees, Rhett’s confidence faltered and common sense crept back in. He needed to think about this. They needed to _talk_ about this.

Link was still leaning against the wall, shirtless and sinfully beautiful, looking at Rhett expectantly, but Rhett resisted his urge to lunge at him and kiss him senseless. This was a huge step for them. What they had been about to do went far beyond simple flirting, and the consequences would be enormous. Everything Rhett wanted was right there in front of him, but at what cost? It suddenly occurred to him that neither he nor Link had actually voiced what they had been feeling over the past few weeks. Did he feel the same way Rhett did? How long had he had such feelings? Or was he simply feeling a little flirtatious, and liked Rhett’s attention? Throughout the years, they had both sometimes gotten a little physical with each other in ways that would surely raise eyebrows. When they’d shared beds in the past, Link would cuddle up to him and Rhett would not object, and they’d wake up with their limbs tangled together and laugh about it. But now, Rhett’s heart told him that this was different. He needed to know if Link felt the same way.

Rhett looked at Link, who was regarding him with a curious expression as he waited. Somebody had to make a move, but Rhett was too nervous to hear the answers to the questions he wanted to ask. 

Link waited for another long minute before finally stirring. “Well?” he asked playfully. He put his unhurt hand on his hip and lifted an eyebrow. “Were you gonna finish what you started, Rhett?” 

Rhett hesitated again. He wanted to do it so badly, but this was a big deal. Their first real kiss. Should it really be here, at work, while Link was injured? It wasn’t appropriate for the crew to have to see such a romantic moment. Even Mike and Alex, young as they were, knew that. Rhett was sure he was right in thinking why they had decided to take a short coffee break away from prying eyes. 

He formed a plan of action in his head. First of all, he needed to finish taking care of Link. It probably wasn’t a good idea to start putting the moves on his friend when what he really needed was a little comfort first. Then he could offer to take a nice little detour on the way home so they could talk in the car about what they wanted to do and how they were going to handle this new development. He needed to lay it all out on the table, Rhett decided. He would act like a man and do the right thing.

“Hey,” Rhett started. “So this isn’t something we should be doing at work, huh?”

Link blinked and a look of hurt quickly took over his face. “Okay?”

“I think we need to talk about whatever’s happening with us before we find ourselves in a compromising situation like that,” Rhett hurried to add. “I think we got a little carried away. We probably shouldn’t do anything inappropriate where our employees could see.” 

He smiled at Link, hoping to see his friend giggle playfully in response, but he was met with silence. It dragged on awkwardly until Rhett cleared his throat. “Link? You alright, buddy?”

“I’m fine. Just dandy.” Link’s voice was flat. “You’re right, I guess.”

“You don’t sound fine.” Rhett almost smacked himself. “Well, I guess that was a stupid thing to say. You just got burned. How does it feel now?”

Link’s eyes had lost their dreamy, seductive look and were now beginning to simmer with something that looked a lot more like anger. “They’re fine, Rhett. I already told you they weren’t that bad. You overreacted.” Before Rhett could reply, Link pushed himself away from the wall. “You put too much gel on me,” he muttered, hunching his shoulders and covering his bare chest with his arm. “Where are the bandages?”

Rhett felt like he’d been slapped. “They’re right here, buddy.” His attempt at a calming voice came out patronizing and he winced and forced a more casual tone. “Do you want to go down to Olive Park after work, so we can talk about – ”

“Apparently,” Link’s voice dripped with sarcasm, “there’s nothing to talk about, is there?”

“I really think we should take some time to communicate,” Rhett protested, confused. “Why are you so mad all of a sudden?”

Link blew air hard out of his nose and marched past Rhett to reach the first-aid kit he’d left on the counter. “Don’t worry about me,” he said when Rhett moved to assist him. “I’ll wrap up my hand myself.”

“I can help – ”

“Hmm,” Link grunted. “I don’t see why I need help. I’m not a baby. And I don’t need you feeling sorry for me. Seems like I can’t help but misread what you’re actually trying to do. I might get _carried away_.” Link imitated Rhett’s voice cruelly. 

What in the world did that mean? Rhett could see that the man’s cheeks were flushed pink like they did when the man was flustered or embarrassed. “Link, I want – ”

“You clearly _don’t_ ,” Link snapped. Rhett felt the force of Link’s anger and actually took a step backward.

“Link, hey, come on,” Rhett tried for a light tone. “Let me make you feel better. I’m good at it, remember?”

“Sure. Sure you are. But I can take care of myself, Rhett. Wouldn’t want to land us in another _compromising situation._ ”

Rhett felt helpless. “I know you can take care of yourself. I didn’t mean to make you feel – ”

“Oh, trust me, I know you didn’t mean it.” Link shook his head, his jaw working furiously. “You can go back to your office any time now.” He threw open the lid of the plastic first-aid kit so hard that a sheaf of anti-septic wipes went fluttering into the air. Rhett immediately knelt near his feet to pick them up and Link actually took two steps away. It felt like being kicked in the chest. 

The situation was spiralling out of control and Rhett felt like he was shrinking down to about two inches tall. He took a deep breath and tried to collect his thoughts. Just minutes ago he was on top of the world, feeling what he thought was Link’s love for him and about to show the man what he’d wanted to do for so long.

“Link,” Rhett tried his most gentle voice and a soft smile. “Maybe we should talk about what just happened between us before I go. _Please._ I don’t want you to be angry with me.”

“I just don’t think it’d be _appropriate_ right now, do you?”

Rhett could only open his mouth and close it again. 

“You probably have work to do,” Link told him firmly. “Take your coffee before you go. I’ll be a while.”

“Link, I’m sorry,” Rhett tried desperately.

Link ripped the box of Jelonet gauze open viciously. “Me too, Rhett. Trust me, me too.”

And then he turned his back.

Rhett backed out of the room before he did something stupid, like start to cry.

**

He must be a sadist, Rhett decided later when he evaluated the situation. Clearly, he’d gone crazy from touching Link, which was awful since he was supposed to be giving his friend medical treatment. The only explanation was that Rhett was some weirdo who liked to see Link in pain, or didn’t care enough about his friend’s injuries to act appropriately. Evidently, he had completely misread the situation. Had his own urges clouded his brain? Were his memories just wishful thinking?

 _Were you gonna finish what you started, Rhett?_ Link had inquired, sounding coy. But Link had a strange sense of humour. Maybe he was just enjoying the awkwardness of the whole situation and couldn’t resist a little joke as he waited for Rhett to finish dressing the mild burns.

He felt terrible about causing Link to burn himself, and worse that it had happened just when Link was trying to do something nice by bringing him coffee in his office. The memory of his reddened fingers and irritated splotches on his chest made Rhett feel like garbage. And yet, the image that returned to the forefront of his brain over and over was of Link’s nipples hardening beneath his palm as he smoothed the slippery burn gel onto the man’s skin. Link’s eyes fluttering closed as Rhett kissed his temple. Link trusting him even after he’d gotten hurt. Trusting Rhett to make it feel better. Welcoming Rhett’s touch, head tilting back, gasping at the cold gel, asking silently to be kissed. But, judging by the man’s reaction after he’d been let go, that wasn’t what he was asking for at all. 

Frowning, he replayed the scene in his head. Maybe Link had just been uncomfortable at the closeness and had looked at Rhett’s lips because he couldn’t believe what Rhett was doing. 

His devious brain imagined being there again. Holding Link against the wall. Unzipping his pants next, pulling them off one foot at a time and tossing it with the coffee-stained shirt on the floor. Pulling down his underwear next, getting a good look at the cock that seemed so big whenever Rhett caught a glimpse of it bulging from his friend’s tight jeans or when Link had sat down beside him on the GMM set, wearing those ridiculous denim boxers. Link squirming in his grip and begging for Rhett to use his mouth to pleasure him. And then Link sinking to his knees to return the favour, his mouth opening wide to take him in.

 _This needs to stop,_ Rhett thought as his body began to show signs of interest as if he were a horny teenager again. It was one thing to have sexual feelings for somebody, but it was very different to find sneaky excuses to touch them in ways they didn’t ask to be touched. He couldn’t feign simple interest in Link’s well-being just to grope him or add fuel to his solo fantasies. It was wrong. _He_ was wrong, for turning what Link obviously thought was a simple comforting moment into something sexual.

It was clear that despite Link brushing him off so rudely, the two of them did need to talk. Rhett had to apologize for his actions. They’d fought before and always managed to make up. He was sure that if he caught Link at a good time and explained himself, there was a good chance he’d be forgiven. It might take them a while to get over the awkwardness, but their friendship was strong enough to handle it.

Link was coldly polite to him for the rest of that strange day. In front of their employees, he made an effort to be civil, but the few times they’d happened to be alone, Rhett found himself ignored completely. Direct questions from Rhett were answered simply and bluntly. Rhett dreaded the moment when work was over and they’d have to drive home together. He spent a great deal of time staring blankly at his computer screen and trying hard to listen to Stevie discussing the details of their next planned Will It episode. Several times he had to ask her to repeat herself, until finally she suggested that they talk about it another time. 

“Sorry, Stevie,” Rhett managed to say with a tired half-smile. “I’m just not feeling my best right now.”

Stevie looked at him kindly. “Maybe you should go talk to him,” she suggested.

“What? Who?” 

“Link, who else?”

“How did you – ” Rhett blinked.

She laughed dryly. “He’s been moping around looking like a kicked puppy for the last two hours,” she said. “Neither of you seem to hear a word I say. And you’re both avoiding your office like its contagious.”

“Oh,” Rhett answered sheepishly. “I’m sorry you have to witness it, but yeah. I guess we do need to talk. Maybe later, once we cool down.”

She looked sympathetic. “I’m sure you’ll get over whatever happened,” she told him with far too much knowledge in her eyes. “Buck up, champ. I hate to see you guys upset.” She stood up and grabbed her laptop.

Rhett smiled at her again, more widely this time. “Thanks, Stevie.”

The day couldn’t be over soon enough. When five o’clock rolled around, Rhett went to go find Link to see if the man was ready to leave. They often stayed later than this, but Rhett didn’t feel very productive. He poked his head up into the lounge upstairs to see if Link was there, but found only Mike and Alex, bent over the same laptop and sitting close enough to share a single couch cushion. Alex looked up quickly from his work and gave Rhett an embarrassed grin. Rhett gave him a thumbs up and left them alone. Though he didn’t butt into his employees’ personal lives, he felt a little better knowing that they were happy with each other. It was good to see a new romance blossoming in the world.

He finally found Link in Jen’s office, alone at her desk. The door was open but the man seemed absorbed on his laptop. They never knocked when a door was open – they’d never had to. They were always comfortable around each other. A lump formed in Rhett’s throat. He hated that he was responsible for making things awkward between them. Hesitantly, Rhett tapped the open door with his knuckles to make sure he didn’t give Link another scare. 

Link started and swivelled in the desk chair. Rhett was startled to see how exhausted he looked. “Oh,” was all he said, “it’s you. Time to go home, then?”

“Hey,” Rhett began awkwardly. “Yeah, I was thinkin’ we should get going. Jessie texted me and I gotta stop at the grocery store and pick up milk and eggs.”

“I could get a ride with someone else. If you want.”

Rhett’s heart sank. “Is that what you want?”

“Who cares about what I want?” Link muttered. 

“I do, okay? Why would you even ask such a thing? I’m your friend, Link,” Rhett said fiercely. “Come on, let me give you a ride home.”

“I…” Link removed his glasses and rubbed hard at his eyes with the heels of his hand. “Okay, yeah, you’re right. Yeah, let’s go. I haven’t really been getting much done today anyway.”

The drive was quieter than usual, but Rhett forced himself to just be glad that Link was okay with being in his company. To mask the silence, he turned on the radio and fiddled with the dial to find a good station. The first one to come through played the first few rhythmic reggae-pop notes of Rihanna’s _Work_ and he quickly turned to the next station as fast as his fingers could move. Heat rose to his cheeks and he dared not look at Link. The memory of the man’s sensual dancing to the song burned brightly in his brain, followed by a cold dose of shame. _Control yourself, dangit. No wonder Link is mad at you. You gotta get over these stupid feelings._

93.1 Jack FM was playing Bowie. Rhett’s grip relaxed on the steering wheel and he focused on the road as best as he could. The drive wasn’t very long and traffic wasn’t horrid, and so he bore the tension in the car manfully all the way to their destination.

Link unbuckled his seatbelt as they pulled up to his house and made to grab the door handle without a word of farewell. Rhett couldn’t help himself. He reached out and grabbed Link’s arm. “Link, before you go, I…I just want you to know that no matter what, I’ll always be there for you. You’re my best friend, and I hate when we fight like this.”

Link pressed his lips tightly together and Rhett was startled to see how sad the man looked. “Okay,” the brunet finally said in a choked way. “I…I feel the same way. Just friends. Right.”

“Best friends,” Rhett amended softly, and gave Link’s shoulder a squeeze. “Can we forget about what happened and go back to the way things were?”

“I’ll try,” Link murmured, and Rhett unbuckled his own seatbelt so he was able to reach over and give Link a hug. He tried his best to keep it casual even though he wanted nothing more than to hold Link’s head against his chest and stroke the man’s glossy hair until he felt better. 

Link’s body went rigid, then relaxed. He hugged back with one arm. When they pulled apart, Link seemed to collect himself and gave Rhett a smile that looked real. “Alright,” he said, more strongly. “I’m sorry that we fought. Things will be normal from now on. I promise.”

“See you at eight tomorrow, then?” 

Link initiated direct eye contact for the first time since the kitchen incident. “Of course.” 

“Great,” Rhett tried to look happy. “See you then.”

He let Link go and watched him walk stiffly up the walkway to his front door. 

_Just friends,_ Link’s voice repeated in his head. _Just friends_.

He could hardly have made himself more clear.

Rhett stepped on the gas pedal a little too hard and peeled away from Link’s house with his eyes stinging and his heart puddled somewhere around the bottom of his stomach.


	3. Chapter Three

It took some time and more than a few days of tension at work, but the open wound began to heal. The two men progressed from forced politeness to a level of friendship almost, but not quite, like the one they had before the incident in the kitchenette. 

They could talk to one another and work together without a problem. But Link, always physically affectionate with those he loved and especially with Rhett, now shied away from touch as though Rhett was contagious. Though it hurt, Rhett tried to convince himself that it was a kind gesture on Link’s part – an effort to force the inappropriate feelings from surfacing again. Maybe his subconscious would stop tormenting him with dreams in which Link danced for him, slow and dirty, his eyes like gleaming jewels beneath heavy lids as he straddled Rhett’s lap and let the bigger man’s hands roam everywhere as his hips continued to swivel to the rhythm.

So Rhett went along with it. He nixed episode ideas that sounded like they had potential to create tension and didn’t let their feet touch when they sat beside each other. He tried to look at the camera more often during filming instead of staring openly at Link. And finally, despite having carefully attended to Link’s minor injuries for years, did not so much as lift a finger to help if the man gave himself a paper cut or banged his head off an open cupboard or stubbed his toe on the leg of his desk chair. He would pretend to be suddenly very absorbed in his laptop or phone as Link cursed under his breath and went off in search of an ice pack for his head or to clean a cut in the sink. 

It felt wrong. It felt cold and mean. Rhett missed being needed, missed the easy warmth and frequent contact with Link. He missed Link giving him a one-armed hug in the car on Friday evenings, knowing they might not see each other again until Monday. He missed the way Link’s eyes would light up when Rhett picked him up early for work with coffee and breakfast for two, so they could stop in the park and eat together in the early morning sun.

There was a wall between them now. _Is this how normal friends behave?_ Rhett wondered as they sat stiffly side-by-side in the studio, smiling and laughing and not meeting each other’s eyes. _Is this what Link wants me to be?_

He didn’t like it, but Rhett knew he had nobody to blame but himself. 

Without his open-minded and understanding wife, he would surely have gone insane. Luckily, Jessie – who knew everything about him, even things he didn’t know himself – was there to listen. She seemed shocked when he told her how Link had insisted the two of them were just friends. When she pressed him for more details, Rhett summed up the altercation they’d had. For a moment her face grew strange, as if she was going to laugh, but she quickly switched to looking properly sympathetic. Her only advice was to keep communicating properly with his friend. “You’ll see,” she would say with a twinkle in her eye. “Everything will work out. Just be open and honest with each other.”

“I guess so,” Rhett replied doubtfully.

But he couldn’t dream of a way to ever be honest about his feelings, or how he’d ever get the nerve to confess to Link that despite all their efforts to remain determinedly platonic, his crush lingered. The mere sight of Link was enough to make Rhett’s palms grow sweaty and his heart beat faster. This only served to fuel Rhett’s efforts to avoid the man as much as possible outside of work. It was for Link’s own good, he told himself firmly.

“This isn’t going to work,” Jessie finally told him one evening as they lay in bed. It was Saturday, and Rhett had texted Link earlier to cancel the plans they’d made together many weeks ago before things became awkward. “You can’t make him feel like you don’t even want to be friends any more.”

“I don’t know what else to do.” Rhett stared at the ceiling. “It’s not going away.”

“I know, Rhett.” Her hand found his. “But you need to try and maintain your friendship. Why don’t you go over tomorrow when Christy and I are out with the kids at the afternoon mothers’ luncheon at the church? I’m sure he wants to see you, too.”

“What if he doesn’t?” Rhett wondered, mostly to himself.

“Then you’ll prove me wrong, won’t you?” Jessie squeezed his hand. “And how often does that happen?”

Rhett grinned despite his misgivings. “Not very often,” he admitted.

“Exactly.”

The next day, Rhett bit the bullet and texted Link, apologizing for cancelling the day before and asking if he wanted to hang out for a bit. His tone was carefully light. Link agreed right away, surprising Rhett. Then again, the man did always hate being alone.

The drive seemed to take forever. The familiarity of pulling up to Link’s house and strolling to the front door surprised him. He hadn’t been over in some time and half-expected the house to feel distant and strange. Taking the unlocked door as an invitation to walk right in, he shouted out his presence as he hung his jacket on the coat rack. When Link didn’t immediately appear, Rhett grew vaguely concerned.

“Link? Hey man! It’s me! You in here?” He wandered through the house as easily as if it were his own. “Link!”

Just when Rhett thought the man must be out back or dead asleep upstairs, he heard footsteps creaking on the floor above. “I’m here! I’m coming!” Link called down. A long time later, Link came hobbling down the stairs to greet him. His face was screwed up with pain. 

Rhett winced in sympathy. _This must be what it was like for Link, waiting for me to try and walk out to his car when my back’s hurting._ “Whoa, are you okay?”

“Sorry, sorry!” Link grimaced. “I don’t know what’s wrong. I could barely get up. Everything hurts today. Went to the clinic this morning after church. I think my physical therapist is a sadist.”

Rhett knew he was joking, but the way Link’s face was actually sweating from the strain of walking made him irrationally angry. Though it was ridiculous, he didn’t like the idea of a stranger touching Link and taking care of him. _That’s supposed to be my job._ “What did he do?”

“I don’t know. Made me stretch in a bunch of weird ways, but it didn’t feel very good.” Link frowned. “I just feel, I don’t know. Tight all over. Like I’m tensed up but I’m not. I tried taking a hot shower but my knee started to ache from standing up, so I tried a hot bath, but I couldn’t get comfy sitting down either.”

Rhett was alarmed. “That doesn’t sound good. Are you sure this therapy place knows what they’re doing? Did anyone say you’d feel worse for a while after? Like is it part of the healing process? I’m gonna come with you next time.”

The other man’s laugh was genuine and his smile broke through the pained expression. “I’m sure they know what they’re doing, Rhett.”

“But you can barely walk.”

“It’s nothing, I’m fine.” Link said dismissively, though the lie was so obvious that Rhett had to shake his head.

“Maybe I could help,” Rhett suggested, and before he could think, added, “Can I try massaging you a bit?” _Bad idea, bad idea!_ the logical part of his brain trumpeted. _You’re trying to get over your crush, aren’t you? Don’t volunteer to give him a dang massage! You finally thought you could be alone with him and act normal, but you were wrong!_

Link began to giggle nervously. “What?”

“It can’t hurt. Let me try. I’m good at massages.” Rhett kept his face determinedly neutral in case Link was scared that he’d get weird like the last time. He could do this without being weird. He _was_ good at giving back rubs. It wasn’t fair to let Link suffer when Rhett could have helped. This wasn’t something easy that Link could do himself, like applying Neosporin and a Band-Aid. As long as Rhett kept control, everything would be fine.

The other man looked uncertain. “Will you be gentle? I don’t want to sound like a wimp but some areas are really freakin’ tender, man.”

“Of course I’ll be gentle,” Rhett said hotly, indignant at the idea that he might be too rough. “I’m always gentle when I’m helpin’ you out. Doctor McLaughlin is a professional.”

“A professional,” Link repeated with mirth. He collapsed heavily onto his couch, then made a face. “Eurgh! I can’t even sit right. My butt hurts.” 

“Muscle cramps?” Rhett’s gaze flickered down as Link rubbed his butt with the palm of his hand. _Don’t look. Eyes on his face, McLaughlin._

“Yeah. I had to lie down on my stomach like I was gonna do push-ups, and then do this weird thing where I rotated my hip to get my leg under me. It felt good for the first few seconds, but I had to hold it for half a minute and he kept telling me to lean forward to deepen the stretch.”

“What did it feel like?”

“Like my butt was on fire? Gosh, I don’t know how to explain it.”

Rhett knew that it was wrong to feel anything but concern for Link in that moment. But picturing Link on all fours, obeying orders as best as he could with his little body straining against the pain, was strangely appealing as well. _What is wrong with you? Get a hold of yourself!_

Rhett cleared his throat. “You want me to start with your back and shoulders?”

“Okay.” Link peered up at him over the rims of his glasses, which had slipped down his nose. Rhett leaned over him and pulled them off carefully, making Link smile. “Do you want me to try and lay face down on the couch?”

 _It would be easier if you laid on your bed,_ Rhett thought, but that idea seemed a little too dangerous. It would only be asking for trouble. “Okay.” He knelt on the floor beside the couch as Link settled into place. At his height, his arms could easily reach anywhere on Link’s back. He placed his hands flat on the base of the man’s spine and started to knead the muscles on either side with slow circular motions. 

“Oh, wow,” Link said in surprised pleasure. His body seemed to sag into the couch. “Okay, you do know what you’re doing. Oh, mmmh – ” The man shut his mouth quickly, cutting off his moan as if embarrassed.

“I told you, man,” Rhett said lightly, although it was not a good time for details of his last dream to suddenly pop up in his head. Link had moaned just like that, although not from having his _back_ rubbed. Rhett’s face felt hot and he knew he was turning pink. He only prayed Link didn’t twist his head around to see. 

“Mmm, ooh, there’s a sore spot,” Link arched away from Rhett’s touch at first but leaned into it when the man lightened the pressure and treated the spot with great care. “You should be my physical therapist. I’d rather pay you to do this for an hour than pay that sadist to make my body do stuff it doesn’t want to do.”

Rhett grinned like a fool, elated at being able to make Link happy. “Well, when the public finally gets sick of our faces and we gotta go out and get real jobs again, maybe I’ll be a masseuse.”

“We can operate out of the same building. The hairstylist and the masseuse.”

Rhett interrupted his rhythm to pat Link’s shoulder enthusiastically. “That might actually work! You know how when you’re waiting with all those foil bits in your hair…”

“Not personally, no. You do that a lot?”

“…so instead of being bored you can get a massage while you wait.”

Link’s body shook slightly with his laughter as Rhett continued to rub upwards with the heels of his hands pressing more firmly. The brunet’s waist was small beneath his large hands but his shoulders were broad and taut with muscle. Rhett’s fingers splayed wide to feel for the tense knots. The other man’s giggles quieted and he soon began to emit low breathy sounds of relief. The noises grew louder and more uninhibited as the massage continued. When his hands lowered to the base of Link’s spine, the smaller man stretched forward. The waistband of his pants pulled down enough to expose the top of Link’s butt. Just a shadow, the barest indentation of a crack. Rhett put his hand flat on the hot skin and pressed downward, rotating in small circles.

Link blew out all the air in his lungs noisily. “Unh…that’s good, Rhett. Real good. I – ”

Rhett faltered for a moment when he thought he saw Link’s hips rock forward into the couch. “You, ah…you okay? Did I hurt you?”

“No, it’s fine, I…” Link turned his head to the side, looking embarrassed. “I…didn’t mean to do that.”

“Do what?” Rhett said with false curiosity, his heart thumping a little harder. Had he really seen what he just thought he saw?

“Nothing. Nevermind.” The brunet’s legs shifted restlessly and one of his hands came up to grip the arm of the couch. Rhett read his body language and keenly felt the man’s embarrassment.

“Put your other arm up too,” Rhett tried to sound calm and unruffled. He suddenly couldn’t stand to have his hands so close to the forbidden and tempting swell of Link’s ass. He might do something stupid. “I’ll get your…your, these things.” He squeezed the underside of Link’s arm to demonstrate. He was positive he knew the name of those muscles a moment ago, but his brain was a little fuzzy. He wondered if Link was hard in his tight little pants, his cock trapped between his body and the couch cushions, aching to be touched.

 _If he is, it’s just a natural reaction to feeling good from being touched,_ Rhett scolded himself. _Just like last time. It doesn’t mean anything. People like to be touched. It’s natural. Don’t make it weird._

“Okay,” Link breathed, and Rhett’s capable hands squeezed and manipulated the well-formed muscles in his friend’s arms. When he was finished, he didn’t know what to do with himself. Link was making no move to get up. 

“Are you done?” 

Rhett couldn’t tell anything from the man’s tone. “Am I? Anything else hurt?”

“Well, my…my thighs,” Link mumbled. “Can you get them too?”

“Sure.” Rhett wrapped both hands around Link’s thigh, about halfway up from his knee. The limb felt small in his hands. There were no knots, but Rhett could feel the tension. He edged his hands upwards slowly, his face hot. It felt as if he was doing something exciting but forbidden like he was a teenager sneaking onto the roofs of Campbell University again. But Link had _asked_ for this. _You knew this was a bad idea,_ he scolded himself as he began to find pleasure in touching Link’s prone body. But he couldn’t back out now. Not when Link needed him and wanted him like this.

“Oh, _wow_ ,” Link practically purred. His inner thighs were firm but soft and he even spread his legs wider to give Rhett access. How high did he dare go? He was a hand’s breadth away from Link’s ass. Would Link bolt again? Would he freak out? Or would he like it and even ask for more?

“You’re tense,” was all Rhett could think to say, stupidly.

“Mmhmm,” Link hummed, and then, “Maybe get the other one?” he pressed when Rhett’s hands had mindlessly squeezed the same spot about thirty times.

“Right. Right. Okay.” Rhett made himself shift to massaging Link’s right thigh. This time, he kept his hands lower, not trusting himself.

“Are you done?” Link asked.

“I don’t know. What else do you need?”

“I don’t know.” Link turned onto his back and curled his legs up towards his chest, unusually defensive. He looked almost frightened. Rhett’s heart ached. 

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Link looked startled. “For what?”

Rhett shook his head. “I…I only want to help make you feel better.”

“You are makin’ me feel better.” 

“But you’re – listen, Link, we need to talk.”

“Do we? I don’t think there’s anything to talk about.” Link crossed his arms and looked surly. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. You’re the one who offered.”

“Come on, Link. I’m sick of us dancin’ around this.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” 

“I know when you’re lying.”

“Obviously you don’t,” Link snapped back.

“Talk to me, Link.” Rhett was not going to let it go. He had to do it, he had to confess his feelings for Link no matter how his friend might react. “Am I making you uncomfortable? I don’t want that.”

“Look,” Link blurted, “I know dang well what you’re gonna say, so save it. I know I’ve been weird, okay? I’m handling it. I’m tryin’ to get a grip. You don’t exactly make it easy, you know?”

Rhett tried to interpret this but could only grasp that Link was accusing him – and rightfully so. “I’m sorry,” was all he had. Had Link been overwhelmed by his increasingly romantic feelings? Had he felt pressured to maintain the friendship despite his repulsion?

Link plowed on. “Putting your damn hands all over me, kissin’ my forehead, all of it. Baking cookies for me, jesus, you’re so dang cute and caring that it makes me forget myself. I know I acted inappropriately that day at work, in the kitchen. I hated that you had to call me on it. It was wrong of me. You touching me just felt so good and I convinced myself that you wanted the same thing I did. I’m trying hard to resist you and I just need more time to get a hold of myself, alright?”

Rhett felt as though he’d been hit over the head very hard. He stared at Link with his mouth open. “Resist me?” 

“Look, it’s nothing, really. Listen, I’ll finally man up and say this. I have – feelings for you, okay? Not just friendly feelings. More than that. It’s only been going on for a few months. Probably just some sort of after-effects from this dream I had – well, nevermind that. The point is, I really hope you can just forget about this until I smarten up and stop havin’ these weird thoughts. But if you want things to go back to normal you need to give me a little distance even if I’m not strong enough to ask for it myself.”

Hope was dawning on him. “Are you saying you - _like_ me?” Rhett’s mouth was as dry as cotton. He felt like he was back in eighth grade trying to chat up girls.

Link looked suddenly miserable. “I’m…I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be…the way I am.”

“Link, wait!” Rhett almost shouted as the smaller man made as if to get up and run. “Don’t run away again. Don’t push me away. It’s not just you, okay?”

The smaller man froze in a comical position, legs outstretched and ready to bolt. “What?”

“I thought it was me!” Rhett fought the urge to laugh. “I thought you were about to tell me to back off and stop flirting!”

“Since when have you been – ” Link gaped.

“For months! It started right after when you tripped and fell, and I kissed your arm. How have you not noticed this? I nearly kissed you for real at work!”

“I thought,” Link began falteringly. “I thought you were just…I dunno…joking or something.”

“I would never joke with you like that,” Rhett assured him. “I wanted to do it so bad. You were so close, and half-naked, and you looked so beautiful…”

“You think I’m – beautiful?” Link repeated, his mouth dropping open. “Oh, Rhett…”

“How exactly did you think I wasn’t interested when I was practically groping you, anyway?” Rhett blurted. 

“You said things got carried away!”

“Yeah, I meant both of us! I was getting excited and I wanted to wait until I had you alone somewhere!”

The men sat in silence, staring at each other in wonder. Rhett felt himself blush as Link’s normally playful and sparkling eyes turned wicked.

“There’s a bruise on my arm,” Link said suddenly.

“A bruise?” Rhett echoed stupidly, unsure of where this fit into the situation.

“Yeah. On my bicep.”

“Does it hurt? What did you do?”

“I don’t remember. Think I banged it off a door frame. Maybe you could. I don’t know. Kiss it better like you do.”

“Show me.”

Link hesitated, and then pointed to the faintest of yellow splotches on his arm. Rhett kissed the indicated spot gently.

“It’s already healing,” Rhett murmured. “It’s an old bruise.”

“Yeah. It was botherin’ me though.”

“Does it feel better?”

“Yeah…yeah…you fixed it. Thanks.”

“Do you still – ” Rhett’s tongue felt too thick and dry to speak. He swallowed and tried again, pitching his voice lower. “Do you need me to help you with anything else?” 

“I think…yeah.” Link scooted up into a sitting position. Rhett’s stomach began doing flips. “Maybe you should sit on the couch with me.”

“Okay.” Rhett had forgotten that he’d been kneeling on the carpet the whole time. With a slight wince as his knees shouted a complaint, he joined his friend on the couch. The cushions sank under their weight and tilted their bodies into each other. “Where else does it hurt?”

“Here.” Link pointed to his bad shoulder, closer to his armpit, where Rhett’s hands hadn’t reached. Rhett leant down and kissed it through Link’s shirt, making the man laugh. From this angle he could see a tiny cut on Link’s neck, up high, close to his jawline.

“You cut yourself shaving?” Rhett asked hoarsely. 

Link furrowed his brow. “Did I? Oh, I guess so. Two days ago.”

“I can take care of that, too.” Rhett didn’t let himself think before following his instinct. When he kissed the faded mark, Link made a noise of surprise, but stayed still. Rhett couldn’t help himself. He had to kiss Link again, just under his ear, and then again near the nape of his neck where his thick hair turned into downy fuzz and the mingled smells of soap and shampoo and Link himself were wonderfully strong. Rhett’s arms came up and curved around Link’s shoulders tenderly.

Link shivered as Rhett’s nose brushed against his ear and made a sound in his throat like he was choking back a word. It could have been _Rhett_ or _please_ or _more_ , but it also could have been _slow down_ or _stop_. Rhett’s courage failed him then, and he straightened up to hold Link at arm’s length. It didn’t feel right without explicit permission. 

Link was quiet and his eyes were closed tightly. Fear seized Rhett. Had he gone too far? Acknowledging mutual feelings was one thing, and so was Link asking him to kiss him on the arm, but things were heating up fast and Link might not be ready. Rhett waited for his friend to snap, to push him away with an angry shout. He’d already endured one argument due to their lack of communication. Rhett could not afford to make the same mistake again. His heart could not take it.

But Link didn’t object. He didn’t flee. “I think something else is hurting now,” he said quietly. He opened his eyes and looked directly at Rhett. His chest was heaving rapidly as he drew short, quick breaths. “It n-needs to be kissed, too.”

“Yeah?” Rhett swallowed audibly. _Play it cool._ “Show me?”

The tension between them was so thick it hung like steam in the air. Link’s face was carefully expressionless, but his eyes kept blinking rapidly. Eventually, he raised his hand and, very slowly, pointed to his mouth.


	4. Chapter Four

Link’s gaze held steady.

Rhett didn’t let himself think too long lest he lose the courage. He’d already missed one chance to do this and he certainly wasn’t going to mess it up again. 

Slowly, Rhett leaned forward and slid one hand through Link’s dark hair, cupping the back of his head. Link’s eyelids fluttered and he gasped quietly as Rhett drew close enough to touch their noses together. For a moment they looked into each other’s eyes, frozen in place. Then Rhett kissed Link directly on the lips for the first time in his life. He stayed there, keeping it chaste and sweet, their mouths pressed together firmly as fireworks exploded in Rhett’s heart.

Even though he wanted nothing more than to pin Link down on the couch and kiss him senseless, Rhett held himself back. This was a moment to be savoured. After so many weeks of feeling disconnected from his best friend, this closeness was soothing, like a balm for his aching heart. Link seemed to feel it, too. When they broke apart for air they couldn’t seem to bring themselves to move their faces more than a few inches apart. Rhett could smell the spearmint toothpaste on Link’s breath and, with his glasses gone, see every minute detail of the man’s perfect face. Link’s eyes were wide as they gazed back at Rhett with wonder.

Rhett spoke first, sounding more confident than he felt. “Is it better yet?”

“No,” Link whispered, licking his lips as if to taste Rhett on them. “I think you should do that again.”

 _Good lord._ “Anything for you, man.” 

Link leaned forward to meet Rhett’s mouth this time. Both men moved with more confidence now. Link’s mouth was pliant beneath his own, his full lips parting easily to accept a quick touch of Rhett’s tongue. Rhett pulled back quickly, checking his pace, reminding himself to take it slow. Soft tingles spread up and down his spine as their lips moved together, soft and slightly dry at first, then deepening as Link slipped his tongue into Rhett’s mouth. The smaller man placed his hands on Rhett’s shoulders and pulled him closer as he drew in a sharp breath through his nose. When he withdrew, Rhett’s hand tightened in Link’s hair and he sucked the man’s bottom lip into his mouth. He could feel blood rushing to his groin so fast it made him dizzy.

The brunet groaned when they parted again. “Rhett, wait,” Link breathed. His pink lips were swollen and his eyes were glazed. “This feels a little too good. You don’t have to…you did your job and I don’t hurt any more. This isn’t…if you don’t want to, we don’t have to…”

“You want me to stop?” Rhett asked huskily, stroking the back of Link’s head.

“No. I was givin’ you a way out. In case you wanted to stop. Because…because I want more of you. A lot more. And if you don’t, maybe we should just…”

“Oh, Link.” Rhett couldn’t keep his hands from exploring. He ran them down Link’s back and then up his ribs, marvelling at the man’s tiny waist and broad, handsome shoulders. “I don’t want to stop, either. I want more of you, too.”

Link tilted his head and gave a crooked smile that was so beautiful and so _Link_ that it made Rhett’s stomach do a funny jump. He reached out and tipped Link’s chin up. Link closed his eyes and waited for the kiss he knew was coming. Rhett’s breath caught in his throat as he studied the way the black fringe of Link’s eyelashes looked against his fair skin, so delicate and pretty in contrast to the man’s stubble and strong jaw. The freedom to admire Link’s singular beauty without fear of repercussion flooded Rhett with joy. Without thinking, Rhett touched the pad of his thumb to the centre of Link’s plump bottom lip. The soft give of the skin surprised him into making a low noise of pleasure. 

Link’s eyes half-opened and he looked up at Rhett with gentle amusement. His tongue flicked out and licked Rhett’s thumb quickly. Rhett was sure the man meant it playfully, but his brain quickly took the sensation of Link’s tongue and filed it away for future dreams. As he stood frozen, Link took advantage of Rhett’s shocked delight to shove his hand away and kiss him demandingly.

Rhett moaned as he felt Link’s passion envelop him. A shock of pleasure raced up his spine like a live wire and heat flowed through his entire body. Despite all he knew about Link, for all the girls they’d both dated, Rhett had never been aware that Link could kiss like it was his last day on Earth. He did not coax Rhett’s mouth open with a feather-light touch of his tongue but took what he wanted with a hunger that left Rhett feeling weak-kneed and faint. His tongue was long and flexible and plundered Rhett’s mouth relentlessly.

Rhett got an arm around Link’s waist and splayed his fingers over the dip of his spine, pulling him closer or maybe just holding on for dear life. He was drowning, falling into Link, forgetting everything in the world but the taste of his best friend’s tongue. 

Suddenly he realized that his lungs were burning and he broke the kiss with a gasp. “Wow,” was all he could say hoarsely. “Gosh, Link, you’re getting me so worked up already.”

“Mmm,” Link sighed. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. You know how long I’ve been thinking about what that would feel like?”

“Probably as long as me.” Rhett caught his breath and grinned at Link. The smaller man’s face shone with excitement. He looked carefree and relaxed. Suddenly Rhett wondered how he could have ever missed seeing how upset Link had been for the past few weeks. How drawn his face had looked and how tired he’d been. He imagined Link lying awake at night, unable to sleep, as sad at the loss of their closeness as Rhett had been. A stab of guilt pierced through his arousal and his grin faded.

“What’s wrong?” Link asked. “You want me to back off a little?” He sounded disappointed but not surprised. A crease appeared on his smooth forehead.

“Nothing like that,” Rhett assured him. “I just….I guess I’m feelin’ guilty about how I’ve been treating you.”

“Guilty?” Link’s eyebrows jumped halfway up his forehead. “It’s me who should feel guilty!”

“I’m the one who completely screwed up our first kiss.” Rhett recalled the words he’d chosen and flushed with embarrassment. He could see how Link had felt rejected. Link was sensitive, he knew that, and he hated being talked down to. It was easy to see why Link had reacted the way he did.

“I overreacted,” Link argued. “I jumped right down your throat and didn’t give you a chance to explain.” He frowned. “I think I was just looking too hard for a sign that you didn’t want me because I couldn’t believe that you did. I still can’t believe that you do.”

“Want me to convince you?”

“You could give it a shot.” Link’s eyebrows waggled playfully and Rhett leaned forward to kiss him again tenderly.

“I ignored you,” Rhett murmured, moving his lips to Link’s cheek. “I didn’t take care of you when you got hurt. For weeks, I didn’t do my job.”

Link tilted his head and brushed their noses together. “I know. That was pretty awful, but I’m the one who told you to stop helping me with the burns. I wish I would’ve told you how nice it was that you cared so much. Most people would have just told me to suck it up, but you…you always just want to make sure I’m safe. You make me feel so loved and protected.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Rhett smiled and leaned back on the couch, inviting Link to snuggle up beside him. Link turned sideways to rest his head on Rhett’s chest.

“Where do you think this came from?” asked Link thoughtfully. “With both of us, at the same time…” 

Rhett’s brain was a little slow to catch up. Having Link so close to him like this was very distracting. He blinked, not comprehending, until Link went on.

“These feelings,” he elaborated. “After so many years, why now?”

Rhett had wondered the same thing. “I think,” he began slowly, “years ago, if we had felt differently about…you know, two men…” He paused. The word _gay_ startled him when it shouldn’t have. In his youth it had been used as an insult among boys on the playground, taunting those deemed fearful or weak. Later, as a teen, when Rhett knew the meaning of the term, he understood that it referred to real people – just not people in his own life, and therefore he didn’t have to think about it. As an adult in California it was a word that gradually came to mean something he felt was totally okay, but still separate from himself. It was something normal that just didn’t have anything to do with him. 

Now he didn’t know what to think. He wasn’t gay – but was he bisexual? But he didn’t like men. He liked Link, but he couldn’t picture himself kissing any other man. Then again, he couldn’t picture kissing any other woman besides Jessie either. Thinking about labels and terms just didn’t seem right. Rhett wasn’t interested in labelling himself; he didn’t see the point of it. What mattered was that he knew he loved two wonderful people, and that he knew for sure that love was always right. 

“We might have started something a lot sooner,” Rhett finished.

Link nodded. “I think you’re right. I sometimes had weird moments when I thought of you in a way a friend shouldn’t, but I never told anyone. Just little moments, especially in high school, when everyone would be talking about which girls they wanted to be with and what they had already done. I’d look at you and think how it would feel to take you to dinner and a movie and have it be like it was with a girl. It’d be so much fun, and easier since I knew you so well already. I never thought I was gay or anything. But back then I thought being gay was, I don’t know. Not bad? But different. Like people from another country who’d be totally foreign and different-looking and different-sounding. I was wrong, of course.”

“Yes,” Rhett said gratefully. “I was trying to put it into words. I guess I had similar thoughts about you. I just didn’t dwell on them a lot because I knew what I was supposed to do. Go to school, get married, have kids.”

“And that was fun, too. We both wanted that.”

“Of course,” Rhett agreed. 

“And then…” Link’s gaze went to the window. The reflection of the light made his eyes impossibly blue and full of depth. Rhett could drown in those eyes. “It’s not like those thoughts went away, but they seemed less important since we were already such close friends. I was married. I already had everything I wanted. And I was happy. So if sometimes I thought about kissing you, I just brushed it off because I knew it was impossible. Well, except…”

“Except?” Rhett prompted.

“When we kissed through the ‘glass’.” Link laughed, a little self-consciously. “I was blown away, man. I didn’t think we were really gonna do that. I could feel your lips and the warmth from them and it just felt so good that I didn’t know what to do with myself. It was supposed to be funny for the viewers but it wasn’t funny to me. I struggled so hard to hold it together. It made me realize later, that there could be something between us, at least from my end. I was afraid to tell Christy, but I knew I had to confess. And when I did she said she already knew all along.”

Link’s words resonated sharply in Rhett’s mind. Everything he was saying sounded so familiar. Rhett had never attempted to explore the vague feelings he’d had toward Link over the years but he was always aware that there was something special about their friendship. Being with Link always felt more like hanging out with Jessie than hanging out with his other friends.

“So what changed?” Rhett wondered out loud. “What made us finally realize that this was something that we really did want? That day I kissed your arm at work…It felt like something just woke up inside of me. I had a dream that night – I forget the details – and I think I woke up, well, excited, and just couldn’t stop thinking of you.”

“It was kinda like the newsical kiss all over again, but this time I knew you weren’t doing it for the camera. You were so slow and gentle. And your mouth was so soft, and I felt your beard against me, and I thought to myself, _That’s what it would feel like if he kissed me for real._ I never felt your beard through the glass. It could have been anyone’s lips. And being on camera didn’t feel very romantic. But the way you looked at me before you kissed my arm…” Link actually shivered; Rhett could feel it reverberate in his chest. “Oh, goodness, Rhett. I’ve been thinking about it every day since it happened, imagining your mouth on mine.”

“Did I live up to your expectations?” Rhett asked, giddy now from the thought of Link fantasizing about him.

“Nah,” Link said, and before Rhett’s heart could sink he added, “You blew my expectations right outta the water.”

“Let’s do it again,” Rhett suggested, and Link laughed and leaned in. Rhett led this time, putting a hand on the back of Link’s head to establish control. For all his earlier fire Link submitted easily and busied himself by putting his hands on Rhett’s chest, cupping and squeezing the soft skin. When his thumbs felt Rhett’s hardening nipples through his thin shirt, Link moaned into Rhett’s mouth. Rhett found himself quickly becoming flustered by Link’s insatiable lust. When one of Link’s hands wiggled around to his lower back and pushed insistently up his shirt, he gave a pleading groan. 

“Yeah?” Link asked roughly, his short fingernails raking over Rhett’s skin. Suddenly he rose and swung one leg over Rhett’s thighs, straddling the taller man’s lap with a determined look on his face. On his knees, with his hands on Rhett’s shoulders, Link looked almost predatory. Rhett could only gasp. “Mmm, I think you like me in control.” Link dove forward and nipped at Rhett’s neck playfully.

“Ah!” Rhett gasped, tilting his chin up. He wondered if Link could see the bulge in his jeans, if he knew just excited he’d made Rhett. “I do, Link, it’s so dang hot.” Desperate for more contact, he tried to pull Link against him again. He expected Link to tease him a little more and resist, but instead Link sat willingly on Rhett’s upper thighs and buried his face in his neck.

“You smell so good,” Link whispered, and Rhett’s eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the feeling of Link’s ass practically on top of his crotch.

“Link…” he moaned weakly, “oh, gosh, you can’t just…You can’t know how hot this is.” 

“Oh, trust me, I do.” Link’s sharp teeth teased at Rhett’s earlobe. “I love being with you like this. I’m sorry if I’m moving too fast. You’re gonna have to make me stop if this is too much.”

Rhett arched his hips up and tugged Link forward. “Don’t stop, Link,” he said hoarsely. “Gosh, don’t stop. Give me more.”

Link shifted and re-arranged the front of his pants. “Maybe we should lay down,” he suggested breathlessly. “I need a little more room to move.” They both shifted positions, and Link’s strong arms directed Rhett to fall straight back until his head was resting on the arm of the couch. Link got on top of him again, grinning eagerly. But Rhett didn’t quite fit on the couch lying down. His legs stuck comically out into the air and began to cramp quickly. 

Link giggled at the sight. “Maybe not such a good idea, huh?”

“We’re too big for this couch,” Rhett declared.

“ _You’re_ too big for this couch,” Link corrected. “I sleep on it all the time.”

“Why, does Christy get angry at you that often?” joked Rhett.

“I get up and come down here sometimes when I know I’m tossing and turning a lot, when my shoulder’s acting up. Hasn’t happened for a while, though.”

“Doctor McLaughlin’s gonna have to give you daily massages to augment your physical therapy,” Rhett traced a finger down Link’s chest. “Just to make sure.”

“Well, I’m not gonna say no to that.”

Rhett tried to arrange his legs in a position that felt comfortable. Nothing seemed to work. “As much as I like this, it’s not gonna last too long,” Rhett warned. “My legs kinda hurt, and I’m worried that you’ll get sore again too.”

“Do you want to go upstairs?” Link sounded suddenly shy. He scooted back and let Rhett wriggle up into a sitting position again. “I mean…there’s more room on my bed…we can both fit, and…well.” He cleared his throat and looked away.

“Are you sure?” Rhett asked hesitantly. There were a lot of things they could do in a bed and Rhett wasn’t sure where he wanted to stop. If he wanted to stop at all. But how far did Link want to go? It seemed important to establish a plan before they let their lust take over entirely.

Link seemed to sense the rest of the question before Rhett could voice it. “I think we should just do what feels right, and see where it goes from there,” he suggested. “Christy told me that if anything happened between us, she wouldn’t be upset. I think she saw it coming before I did.”

Jessie had said almost the exact same thing. “We’re so lucky,” Rhett said aloud. “To have such amazing wives, and to have each other.”

“We are,” Link murmured, burying his face in Rhett’s neck again and inhaling deeply. “I don’t want to pressure you, but I…I’d be willing to do…well, a lot.” He laughed quietly. “Feels like we’ve been waiting for years for this to happen.”

“I feel the same way,” Rhett told him, then sucked in a sharp breath as Link kissed his neck wetly.

“Maybe you could start off by finishing that massage,” Link said when he pulled away. “Maybe it’d be more effective without so much clothing in the way.”

“Oho,” Rhett grinned, “I think you’re right.”

Rhett offered him a hand to help him up, and together they ascended the staircase and entered Link’s bedroom. Link gazed at his own bed as if he didn’t know where he was. “Gosh,” Rhett heard him murmur. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”

“Me neither.” Rhett’s hands touched the hem of Link’s shirt. “Can I take this off for you?”

“Yes,” Link said instantly, and raised his arms to allow the garment to come off easily. Rhett made a noise in his throat as he smoothed his hands down Link’s sides, feeling the bumps of his prominent ribs. Link’s moan suddenly turned into a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Rhett asked, playfully indignant.

“I just remembered you ripping my shirt off at work,” Link answered. “I know it’s weird, because you were shouting and I was panicking about burning myself, but for a moment I was so turned on. That night I just couldn’t stop thinking about you busting in my room and ripping off all my clothes without warning.”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about how sensitive these are,” Rhett dropped his voice to a purr and placed his big hands on Link’s pecs, brushing his thumbs over the nipples firmly. To his delight Link moaned right away. “You like that, huh?” Rhett rubbed his thumbs in small circles and felt the rosy flesh harden at the stimulation.

Link’s hands scrabbled at Rhett’s waist, his mouth dropping open when Rhett bent to kiss one hardened little bud. When he closed his mouth over the skin and sucked gently, Link’s body bucked and he grabbed a handful of Rhett’s hair.

“Sorry,” he whispered, but Rhett just shook his head. He had a sensitive scalp but he didn’t mind having his hair pulled when he was worked up. He continued to adorn Link’s chest with wet kisses and lavished attention to his nipples until they were hard and red and slightly swollen. Link was moaning with abandon, his body sagging in Rhett’s arms.

“Hold on,” Rhett straightened up. “Let me get my shirt off too.”

It felt much better to embrace Link with their torsos bared. Link’s hands pawed at his back and shoulders as they kissed on the lips again, soft and tender at first but increasingly wild. Rhett’s stomach fizzed with nerves and anticipation

“Damn, Rhett,” gasped Link, looking as dazed as he had after the newsical kiss. “What…we didn’t even…maybe we should actually get on the bed?”

“Oh, I didn’t forget about giving you your massage,” Rhett assured him with a sly grin. “Take off your jeans and lay down on your back,” he ordered, and the man moved as if powered by Rhett’s voice. 

“You’re taking off your jeans too, right?” Link asked as he undid his belt hesitantly. “I mean, I really wanna see you…”

“You first,” Rhett challenged. “I’m going to finish what I started.” He was almost painfully excited. They saw each other in swim trunks all the time, but it made all the difference in the world now that Rhett could stare shamelessly until he memorized every lovely detail of Link’s body.

“Alright, alright.” Link held eye contact as he slipped his tight black jeans down his thighs. He was wearing bright blue briefs that left very little to the imagination. They hugged the curves of his ass and stretched tight over the generous bulge of his manhood. Rhett could tell the man was aroused and ached to see more, but he didn’t want to rush things. Plus, he had made a promise.

“Get on the bed,” he commanded, swallowing hard at the vision of beauty standing before him. “On your back.”

Link did as told without question. “You sound so hot when you tell me what to do,” he said faintly, cupping a hand over the outline of his erection.

“No, no, there will be time for that later,” Rhett promised as he grabbed Link’s wrists and stretched them over his head. “Stay still and let me make you feel better.” 

Link groaned but didn’t fight. When Rhett let go of his wrists he kept his hands where they’d been put as if Rhett had tied them there. 

“What hurts the most?” Rhett asked as he ran his fingers through the hair on Link’s chest. “Where do you want me to start?”

“Everywhere,” Link let his head fall back. “Gosh, Rhett, just touch me all over. Make me feel good.”

Rhett began to explore every inch of his bared skin. He kept his touch firm but gentle as he felt Link’s ribs and stomach first, then paused at his chest, which he gave extra attention. He trailed his fingers back down, skating lightly over the front of Link’s briefs and eliciting a sharp moan, but he did not linger there long. Rubbing Link’s thighs was much more enjoyable for both of them without the starchy denim in the way. Rhett loved the contrasting features of Link’s body; his flat, girlish stomach, the cut of his hips, the dark whorls of hair and the softness of his skin. And of course, beneath the tight underwear, Link’s thick cock, the tip poking from the waistband as it grew too large to be fully contained. Rhett wanted to kiss every part of him.

Link kept up a steady stream of breathy moans and words of encouragement as Rhett’s skilled hands moved down each leg, then pulled off Link’s socks and rubbed his feet. Link’s eyes closed in bliss and Rhett felt proud of himself for being able to make the man feel so good. Link’s reactions were incredibly arousing. Rhett liked how responsive he was and how he could change up the touch, make Link giggle by tickling the soles of his feet or moan with pleasure by walking his hands up Link’s calf. 

Before long Rhett’s erection was painfully constricted in his skinny jeans, so he popped only the top button open to give himself some relief. Link’s eyes seemed to grow brighter at the sight.

“Come on, Rhett, take ‘em off,” he pleaded. 

Rhett tried to keep his hands steady, but the sight of Link’s cock peeking out from his briefs and dripping on his stomach finally made him break. “Okay,” he finally said, unzipping his pants with a sigh of relief. He was wearing simple white boxers beneath. He knew he couldn’t be nearly as good-looking as Link with his gangly legs and flatter butt, but the way Link was looking at him with complete awe boosted his confidence quite a bit.

“Dang,” Link breathed, “everything about you is big, huh?”

Rhett looked down and saw how visible his manhood was through the boxers. The hungry look on Link’s face wiped away any embarrassment he might have felt. “Like what you see?” 

“Oh, yes, Rhett. Let me – ” Link began to sit up but Rhett grabbed him by the shoulder. 

“Turn over,” he commanded, and Link flipped onto his stomach without question. “There’s one more sore place that I have to massage.”

Link made a choked noise and grabbed onto the pillows for dear life. “Y-yeah, it’s pretty sore…”

“Gotta help you with those muscle cramps you complained about.” Rhett straddled Link’s thighs and leaned forward on his arms, lying on top of the smaller man but supporting most of his own weight. The feeling of Link’s smaller body pinned beneath his own made him groan. “I love your butt,” he said foolishly, cupping it in his palms. “The way you like to move it and show it off gets me so worked up.”

“If I had known that, maybe I would’ve shown it off more often.” 

Rhett gave Link’s rump a light smack and exhaled hard when the flesh jiggled wonderfully from the impact. “You should dance for me sometime,” he murmured. “Like when I walked in on you in the kitchen…”

“How much did you see?” Link sounded sheepish. “I kinda forgot about that.”

“Enough to know that I want a private show someday. It was hot, don’t be embarrassed.” 

“You’re gonna have to make sure it’s in top condition then.”

Rhett started with his hands on Link’s back, moving the palms down slowly towards the swell of his ass. “It’s all about the QL muscle here,” he teased, using an instructional doctor’s voice as he worked his fingers around either side of the spine, “and always stroking upward towards the heart.” He made circular kneading motions, using his weight to help increase the pressure.

Link arched and made a deep noise in the back of his throat. “Hey, doctor, your hands are a little too high.”

“It’s all about working up to it,” Rhett countered, slipping his hands down to the top of Link’s ass. “From the QL you go to the gluteus medius – ”

“How many gluteuses are there?” Link interrupted. 

“Three. When you were doing those hip extending exercises at the clinic, you were stretching your minimus and medius. That’s why you need…” Rhett leaned more weight on the heels of his hands and rubbed deep into the muscle. Link’s arms flexed and relaxed and he gave a pleasured little moan at Rhett’s touch.

“So then you go down…” Link prompted.

“Yeah,” Rhett agreed, “and then you move down to the gluteus maximus, which is a very thick muscle that requires a nice _firm_ touch.”

“Ohhhh,” Link exhaled as Rhett demonstrated, massaging him deeply and pushing him firmly into the mattress “Ooh, yeah, I like that, a _lot_ , actually, it’s makin’ my whole body feel like Jell-O.’ The bed creaked as his hands yanked at the wooden slats of the headboard. “Mmm, Rhett, thank you.” 

Rhett could only go on for a few minutes before he felt too overwhelmed to continue. His hands were shaking and his heart echoed in his ears. “Feel better now?” he managed to ask, grateful that Link couldn’t see how flustered he’d gotten.

“I thought you were just lookin’ for an excuse to touch my butt, but yeah, you actually did a great job.” Link arched his back and pressed his butt firmly into Rhett’s crotch, making them both moan. “Oh, goodness, Rhett,” he moaned. “That feels so good.” He rose up onto his knees and Rhett moved with him instinctively, staying as close as possible. Rhett’s face grew warm as he realized the position they were in. In perfect tandem, the two men thrust against each other in a teasing mimicry of sex. 

“Would you like it like this?” Rhett’s hands squeezed two handfuls of Link’s ass. “Have you thought about it before?”

“Yeah,” Link gasped, “oh, Rhett, you don’t even know how much I’ve dreamed about it. I never thought about being on all fours for you…usually I’m on my back, and you’re…you know.”

A thrill went through him. “You’ve dreamed about me...on top? Making love to you?” The phrase was like music on his tongue. Beneath him, Link inhaled sharply and Rhett knew it had the same thrilling effect.

“I have,” Link finally answered, his voice thick. “I always thought we’d be face-to-face, and you’d be kissing me the whole time. But this is pretty hot, too.”

“Do you want to do that?” Rhett asked tentatively. It seemed pretty extreme to jump into this so quickly, but his body was more than willing. He’d never let himself dream about this act before. It had just seemed like asking too much, even for a fantasy version of Link. “I mean, if you want me to, I will.”

“I don’t…have any stuff. Lube, I mean. I’d want to, you know, prepare for it too. Next time…next time we could? I mean, I’d like it, but it’s okay if you don’t.” Link sounded cautious.

“I’d love to,” Rhett told him, stroking Link’s lower back. “I can’t wait. For now, we can just…” Rhett took himself in hand, cupping his manhood through the fabric, and leaned forward until it was nestled snugly between Link’s cheeks. Both men immediately moaned at the feeling. Rhett let his hands wander along Link’s back, imagining what it would really be like to engage in this intimate act with Link. 

The brunet shifted, positioning Rhett’s cock a little lower down. “Right there, huh?” Rhett asked softly, leaning forward to put a light amount of pressure at where he thought Link’s entrance was.

“Yeah, that’s it, Rhett,” Link groaned as Rhett rocked his hips back and forth in a slow rhythm and cupped Link’s waist in his big hands.

“You feel so darn good,” Rhett breathed. “You’d be so tight around me.” The friction was just right; enough to be pleasurable but not so much so that he’d be in danger of coming too soon. Link’s waist felt so delicate in his hands and it made Rhett feel strong and powerful. He could pull Link back onto his cock, hold him there as Link squirmed helplessly beneath him. He could lay back and let Link ride him that way and help him bounce up and down. Rhett’s hunger grew and he was unable to stop the low noises falling from his mouth. His movements grew more forceful but he remained in control.

There was sweat beading on the back of Link’s neck and the muscles in his shoulders writhed beneath the skin. “So is this…is this how it would be?” Link asked faintly, rocking forward with each of Rhett’s firm thrusts. His fingers clutched the sheets hard to keep himself upright. “If you…if you really did – make love to me, would you be gentle but intense like this?”

Rhett rolled his hips again, slowly, as firmly as he dared. “No,” he replied in a low voice. “I think I’d be a little more…wild.”

“Yeah?’ Link arched into the next thrust, his back bowing. 

“Oh yeah. I’d go faster than this. Harder.” Rhett didn’t know where this sexy growl came from, but he heard it from his own lips now. He gave a short, sharp thrust that nearly knocked Link off balance to demonstrate. “You wouldn’t even be able to hold yourself up on your arms like that. Not at first, of course. I’d be so slow and gentle, get you so worked up you’re begging for more, slide into you real slow to get you used to it. Nice and shallow at first, not too deep. I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”

Link gasped and met Rhett’s thrust again, pushing his butt higher in the air and giving it a little wiggle to rub his opening against the tip of Rhett’s dick. “No, don’t tease, just give it to me,” he begged, his voice high. “I like it rough, give it to me hard.”

“I guess I’d have to hold you still, huh?” Rhett ran a hand over the curve of Link’s ass. “Maybe I’d lean forward and grab you by the hair to remind you to hold still.” Link whimpered at that, making Rhett smile. “Be patient, baby, I wouldn’t tease you for long. As soon as you loosened up I’d push in all the way. Fill you right up with my cock.”

Link’s head fell forward and he cried out at the next slow thrust, Rhett’s cock sliding along his cleft with only two thin layers of cotton between their bare skin. “Oh, Rhett. More, please…I…I’d want you in there as far as you’ll go.”

Rhett felt a damp patch growing on the front of his boxers from his leaking arousal. “I’d pull out almost all the way and then push back in so fast you’d scream in pleasure and start crying my name over and over. Telling me to go faster, asking me to fuck you good and hard. But once we got going, you might have to slow me down a bit. Your noises would drive me crazy and I’d lose control.” 

“What if I didn’t want you to slow down?” Link turned his head enough to look at Rhett from the corner of his blazing eye. “What if I liked it rough and fast…?”

Rhett loved how embarrassed Link sounded. “I’d give it to you however you wanted it, but you’d have to say please.”

“Gosh.” Link shuddered. “I would, probably. I’d have to ask for everything. I’d be so impatient. I’d be hard for hours waiting for you to give in and give me what I want. You would tease me first, just like this, touching me through my clothes and laughing at me when I yelled at you to hurry up and take me.”

The idea did seem appealing. “I’d get your pants off and leave your underwear on,” Rhett agreed, “and get you so excited you’d be begging me to get you naked. I’d take my time and touch you everywhere except where you needed it the most, until you began to plead for me to take ‘em off.” 

“You could do that now. Get…get my underwear off. If you want.”

Rhett nearly choked on his tongue. “Yeah? Okay. Oh, gosh, Link.” He hooked his finger beneath the elastic waistband of his underwear and pulled them down to expose the man’s ass fully. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of Link’s bare skin, smooth and unblemished and paler than the rest of him. “Wow,” was all he could say dumbly. Link made a small noise and shuffled his knees apart. Rhett couldn’t help but run his fingertips down Link’s cleft, feeling course hair beneath his fingertips as they slid along the crease. He brushed over puckered skin, feeling it clench under his touch and he wanted to push inside, to feel the tight heat wrapped around him, gripping him tight.

Link rocked back hard at the touch, whining high in his throat. “Rhett, Rhett, oh, fuck Rhett,” he gasped. ‘That’s too good, too much, _yes_ , please…”

“Yeah,” Rhett panted, “yeah, I know. You ever put anything in here?” he asked as he pressed the pad of his thumb against the hole. 

“My…my fingers, yeah. Only once.”

“Two fingers?”

“Yeah…”

“And you liked it?”

“Only because I was imagining they were your dick,” Link admitted.

Rhett practically choked on his own tongue. “Link, you’re gonna kill me.” Before he could think about what he was doing, he had his cock out through the fly of his boxer shorts and was pressing the head right up against Link’s asshole, shaking with the effort of holding himself back. “Fingering yourself and thinking of me, that’s so hot I can’t handle it. I can’t wait to give you exactly what you want.”

Link’s knuckles were turning white from the force of his grip on the sheets. “Oh, god, Rhett, you feel so thick, it’ll feel so much better in me than my fingers.”

“I want to put it in so bad,” Rhett backed away and let himself rub up against Link’s buttcheek instead. “Want to fuck your ass, Link.”

“Just keep doin’ that,” moaned Link. “Rub your big dick all over my ass, yeah, oh, I’m gonna come so hard. Wanna touch myself, please, please…”

“Yeah, you can do that,” Rhett allowed, his mind reeling from the lewd words spilling so easily from Link’s mouth.

“Oh, thank goodness.” Link let his upper body fall onto the bed and reached a hand underneath himself. Rhett couldn’t see what was happening but knew exactly when Link began to touch his cock thanks to the sweet high-pitched moans that began to fall from the man’s mouth. To have Link pleasure himself right there in front of him was breathtaking. Rhett began to stroke himself slowly too, his slick cockhead moving gently across Link’s asshole over and over and his knuckles brushing up against the hot skin on every upstroke. 

“Rhett,” Link groaned. “Rhett, I’m so hard, I want to come. Love your cock so much, touching me like this. Gonna come, so close, oh, it’s so good. Want you to fuck me so hard next time, make me scream…”

“You better stop talkin’ like that, or I might just take you right here and now.” Rhett groaned and reached down with both hands to grab Link’s ass and squeeze it. “I could just put it in your tight hole, right here on your bed, your butt up in the air for me, bitin’ down on the pillow to keep from screaming my name – ”

Link’s sudden moan drowned out Rhett’s words. “Rhett, oh, Rhett, I would – I want – with you – _oh!_ ” 

Link’s body convulsed and he let out a shuddering cry. The sight of Link coming completely undone was the single most amazing thing Rhett had ever seen. From what he’d seen today, he might have guessed Link would be loud, but he’d never thought he’d hear his own name falling from his friend’s mouth over and over, more loudly each time, as Link’s restless body bucked and writhed. When his back arched involuntarily, Rhett caught a glimpse of his small opening twitching and imagined how it would feel clenching around his length at the moment of Link’s climax. He spread Link’s ass and placed himself in the crevice between Link’s cheeks again firmly. It was his turn to cry out as he felt Link’s hole flutter against him. He clutched Link’s hips and held on tight, barely able to breathe, listening with wonder as Link came down from his high with whimpers and sighs. 

Eventually all the tension left the smaller man’s body and he slumped on the bed, face-down in the mattress, moaning feebly and gasping for breath. Rhett stilled his hips and waited. “You okay?” he asked in a low voice when Link turned his head to the side and opened his eyes.

“Y-yeah. Wow. I think so. Oh, my goodness. I can barely think.” Link shivered and goose bumps rose on the backs of his arms. 

Rhett tried to wait for him to recover, but he couldn’t. He thrust his hips, his cock slipping in his own arousal and Link’s sweat, and let out a whimper of need. It wasn’t enough. He wanted to fuck, needed the sweet friction, needed _Link,_ and it was so hard to think of what to do when his dick was literally an inch away from its goal. 

Link turned over and, faster than he would have believed, grabbed Rhett by the shoulders and toppled him sideways onto the bed. “Let me help,” he grinned. Rhett had to bite his lip to keep from crying out as Link’s hand wrapped around his length, his grip firm and sure. “I want to feel you properly.”

Rhett was amazed at Link’s lack of hesitation to touch another man’s cock for the first time. He moved his hand up and down Rhett’s shaft easily, just like he was touching himself. His face was flushed red and there were creases etched in his expanse of forehead from being pushed into the wrinkled pillow cover.

“Gosh, you’re beautiful,” groaned Rhett, his gaze travelling down Link’s nearly naked body. His briefs were still pulled down and Rhett could see splashes of pearlescent fluid on his stomach and thighs. He’d come all over himself. Rhett’s cock jerked hard in Link’s hand.

“You’re big,” Link said with wonder, staring at Rhett’s manhood. “You feel like me, but longer, I think.” He brought his closed fist all the way up the shaft and over the head, and then tightened his fingers into a ring to slide tightly down again. Rhett’s cockhead pushed through the ring and his brain short-circuited thinking of pushing into Link’s tight ass instead.

“Yeah, Link, like that, that’s so good,” he encouraged.

“I love how soft and velvety it feels,” Link confessed, his eyes half-closed. “So different from touching my own. I like it.” He moved his hand to the base of Rhett’s cock, licked the palm of his left hand and used that to grab the upper half. The added slickness was wonderful. Link’s hands moved in sync, his speed steadily increasing. It was so easy to imagine Link folding to his knees and enveloping his cock completely by closing his plump lips around the head. 

“So close,” Rhett shuddered, “oh, Link, just like that, keep that rhythm, that’s so good, oh, dang, Link, you’re gonna make me – ”

“Come on,” Link breathed. “I wanna make you come.” The man leaned closer and placed a kiss on Rhett’s thigh. “Wish you could have come inside me. Next time…”

The warmth of Link’s mouth so close to his cock and the thought of spilling his seed inside the man’s tight passage pushed Rhett to the point of no return. He teetered on the edge, right on the brink of climax, nonsensical words and pleas spilling from his lips as his body tingled from his head to his toes.

“That’s it, Rhett, oh yeah, baby, let me see,” he heard Link say with satisfaction, and just like that Rhett was coming, his back arcing and his toes curling so tightly it hurt. He felt like an electric current had seized hold of him. Link’s dirty words and sweet pet names were such an arousing combination. He could feel Link’s hands became slick and wet around his pulsing length as the thick seed splashed over his knuckles.

“I love you,” Rhett moaned as stars burst behind his eyes. “I love you, Link, gosh.” He was flying, his blood rushing in his ears and his heart beating hard. He felt Link squeezing him gently to milk out every last drop of come while his hot mouth kissed his inner thighs.

“I love you too, Rhett,” he heard Link answer dreamily, his breath making Rhett’s skin prickle.

Everything felt so overwhelming. His body felt light enough to float up off the bed and his limbs were twitching weakly. Every nerve was on fire and he felt open and vulnerable. Link’s face was resting on his thigh, and Rhett’s legs were spread open, showing Link parts of himself that even he didn’t see.

“Link, I…” he tried, but his throat was too dry.

“Yeah, baby, I’m right here, I’ve got you,” Link’s voice pitched low as he cupped Rhett’s hips firmly, grounding him. The comfort was just what he needed. Rhett’s body began to unwind, slowly but surely, until he felt breathless and sated and content. He reached an arm out pleadingly, imploring Link to come lay beside him. “C’mere,” he said gruffly. “Let’s cuddle for a while.” 

“Hold on.” He felt the mattress move as Link rolled over to grab a Kleenex from the table beside the bed, presumably to wipe the mess from his hands. When he rolled back, Link took Rhett’s arm and placed it around his waist, and then put his own arm around Rhett’s chest. “Just don’t fall asleep. Christy might be okay with this, but I doubt she wants to walk in on it.”

“I’m not the one who falls asleep in two seconds,” Rhett pointed out as he tugged Link as close as possible.

“Then don’t let me fall asleep,” Link sighed happily and kissed Rhett’s chin.

Warm and safe and snuggled up next to his best friend and lover, Rhett let himself just float. His come was drying tacky on his thighs and he could feel the dampness of sweat beneath his arms and on the small of his back. The air was redolent with sex and the mingled smells of their perspiration mixed with Rhett’s aromatic beard oil and Link’s aftershave. 

It took some time for them to recover and come back down to earth. Soon Rhett began to feel normal again. He opened his eyes and stared down at the smaller man’s handsome face, pink and damp with sweat. Elation flooded him and he grinned like a fool as he processed what had just happened, and how Link was so eager to do it again.

Link opened his eyes like he felt Rhett’s gaze and gave him a smile bright enough to light the room. “So what happens now?” he asked as he reached out to caress Rhett’s face.

“Whatever you want,” Rhett put his hand over Link’s and intertwined their fingers. “We could get dressed and have a quick nap. If you haven’t eaten we can go to that café that you like by the studio.”

“Those both sound good, but…I mean in the long run. I know we’re going to end up doing this again, but is it just going to be a casual thing? Or do we take this further and…and be together, in that way, for good?” Link’s eyes were hopeful. “Like we’re…well, boyfriends sounds kind of weird, but…”

“I don’t want casual,” Rhett said firmly. “I want us to still be best friends, but I’d like to take you out on a real date. Do this whole thing properly.”

“A real date, huh? I’d like that. When were you thinkin’?”

“Next weekend, if we can. Maybe I can get Jessie to take the kids somewhere so we can have my place to ourselves for a bit, too.”

“Will Jessie mind if we’re more than just friends with benefits?”

“I bet she’ll roll her eyes and ask why it took us so long to get there.”

“Christy will do the same,” Link admitted, and they both laughed. 

When their smiles had faded Rhett took Link’s hand again. “I can’t wait to see what it’s like being your partner in this way. I’ve always been there for you, and I always will be. Any time you need. To take care of you, or make you feel good, whatever you want.”

“Thanks, Doctor McLaughlin,” Link deadpanned, a smile tugging at one side of his mouth. “You know, I know exactly where I’m gonna need those magic lips of yours next time.”

Rhett’s tongue went dry. “Oh yeah?” he managed. “Next time, huh?”

Link’s smile grew into a wicked grin. “Yep. You’ll have to wait until next weekend.”

“You’ll be returning the favour, I hope.”

“You’ll find out,” Link said lightly, poking the tip of his tongue out to swipe across his lower lip. Despite his exhaustion Rhett couldn’t help but imagine what that flexible tongue could do. 

“Alright,” Rhett tried to sound calm and unruffled and failed miserably. “Next Saturday, then, unless we can’t get away.”

“It’s a date,” Link promised, and leaned in to kiss Rhett softly to seal the deal.

The peaceful silence was broken by a loud growl from Rhett’s stomach. He grinned, embarrassed.

“Café it is,” Link laughed. He bounced to his feet and immediately got his legs tangled together from his boxers being half-pulled down around his thighs. Thankfully, he fell straight back onto the bed. “Oof!”

Rhett laughed until his ribs hurt. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Alright, let’s try that again.” Link’s cheeks were pink and his smile was shy and embarrassed.

“No way,” Rhett reached for him. “You hurt yourself again. You know what that means.”

“I didn’t hurt myself,” Link began, but cut himself off quickly. “Oh. _Oh._ I get it. Alright, come here.”

It took quite some time for them to dress and get out the door.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry for the delay! Sometimes it's hard to write pure smut. Other days it's hard to write actual plot. I've been stuck on the plot part for some time, so I've been paying much more attention to my fic Primaeval...but so many of you have sent me wonderful comments and Tumblr asks about the final chapter to Remedy, so here it is.
> 
> The plot was done, and the rest of this is just for your pleasure.

Rhett had told his wife everything the next day. Well, not _everything._ Just enough for her to understand how they’d gone from clueless idiots to being openly in love.

Jessie very kindly spared him the ‘I told you so’ that he undoubtedly deserved.

Together, he and Link arranged for Jessie and Christy to be treated to a day at the spa. A couple whom they knew from church was willing to take the kids down to the pier and then back to their place for a barbecue dinner. Their wives were excited for their outing, the kids were excited to see their friends, and Rhett could barely wait to have Link to himself for an entire day. 

Saturday took her sweet time in arriving, but it did, and Rhett kissed his wife goodbye and headed off to Link’s house with his body practically fizzing with excitement. 

Going out to lunch was no big deal. They’d done it a thousand times together. But on this day, everything had changed. Their banter was the same, and they sat on the same side of the booth as they always had. But their eyes lingered on each other hungrily, lovingly, and they held hands loosely beneath the table as they waited for their food. Link looked amazing in a fitted black blazer and white collared button-up shirt. His eyes were so blue they looked as if they were glowing, and Rhett felt a rush of pride knowing that the man was his to hold and kiss and love. The restaurant was good, but he barely tasted the food. They each had a glass of wine, but were drunk on each other’s company long before the dry sweetness touched their lips. 

Rhett did not generally feel much from one glass of wine but decided to wait for any effects to wear off before driving home. Link, with his sweet tooth, ordered dessert, and fed Rhett bites from his own fork. “Don’t you want your own?” he asked. “You should have left room for dessert.”

“Oh, I’m having dessert, trust me,” Rhett murmured in a low voice. “As soon as I can, I’m gonna have _you_ for dessert.”

“You’re so corny,” Link told him, rolling his eyes but smiling. He popped another bite of cake into Rhett’s mouth with a lecherous wink.

Finally, _finally_ , they paid the bill and were on their way home. No sooner had Link stepped out of the car when Rhett was sliding his arms around the small waist, kissing him with all the built-up passion of the past week.

“Wait, wait!” Link gasped into his mouth. “My neighbours might see.”

“We’d better get inside, then,” Rhett stated firmly, and Link shrieked in surprise as Rhett picked him up and hoisted him over one shoulder. 

“Rhett!” he laughed. “You’re going to hurt yourself. Your back…”

“Doctor McLaughlin knows what he’s doing.” Rhett groped at Link’s rear end and found the man’s keys to unlock the door.

“He does not!” Link giggled and held on tight as Rhett carried him through the door and into the house. “You’re not gonna try to get me up the stairs like this, I hope?”

“I could,” Rhett said even as he lowered Link to the ground. He raised his arms and flexed the muscles proudly. He felt incredibly giddy. “I could bench-press you.”

“But you’d rather enjoy this view, is that right?” Link turned around slowly, deliberately showing off his curvy ass as he sauntered up the first few steps with his hips swaying dramatically.

Rhett followed closely behind. “Guilty as charged, man. I could stare at that all day. It looks even bigger in those pants.”

“You mean it looks bigger from the family-sized cake I just consumed.”

“If that’s how it works, I’m going to learn how to bake.”

He could see Link’s back shaking with laughter. At the top of the stairs he turned and dove at Rhett, kissing him hard enough to take the bigger man’s breath away. Link smelled so good, a touch of cologne and the scent of freshly shampooed hair filling Rhett’s nose. Somehow, as their lips were locked, they managed to shed their jackets and their shirts on the way to Link’s bedroom, and by the time Rhett was pushing Link backward on the soft bed they were both fully aroused and panting already.

Link put his arms up over his head and Rhett used one large hand to pin his wrists in place. “I love this,” Link said as he tested the restraint by struggling just a little. “You feel so big and strong, holding me down. You could do anything to me.”

“And you’d love it.” Rhett bent and kissed the shell of Link’s ear. “Wouldn’t you?”

“Yes,” Link closed his eyes. “I want you so bad, Rhett. I’ve been waiting for this day for what feels like years.”

Rhett nuzzled the man’s neck affectionately and Link’s Adam’s apple bobbed sharply as he swallowed back a moan. Rhett’s tongue explored the sensitive spot beneath Link’s ear, enjoying the way it made Link shiver and arch his hips up to rub against Rhett’s thigh shamelessly. He wanted to do this for _hours_ , to map every square inch of Link’s body with kisses and gentle nips, to leave faint pink suck marks over the man’s back and ass and thighs. 

“Come on,” Link groaned. “Please, Rhett, you’ve teased me long enough. I’ve been waiting ages for this. Take your clothes off already.”

Instead, Rhett let go of Link’s wrists and reached for his belt. “You first.”

“Good idea.” Link was so hard that it looked painful. Rhett caressed the bulge gently before undoing the belt and pulling the pants zipper down. Link lifted his hips and helped Rhett pull the garment down and off. Beneath, he was wearing a cute tight pair of white briefs that barely contained his enormous manhood.

“Good gosh, Link, look at you!” Rhett couldn’t help himself. He bent and nuzzled the firm package through the layer of cotton, inhaling the wonderful musk. Link’s hands fumbled as they hurriedly ripped the briefs down to let his cock spring free. Rhett had never thought about doing this before, but he let his instincts guide him. He ghosted his lips up the underside, breathing hot moist air on the tip, and then gave the whole length a long, slow lick with his pointed tongue.

Link’s cock jumped and a bead of pre-come formed at the tip. “Are you gonna suck it? Please, Rhett…”

Rhett licked again, lapping the pre-come away, tracing lines around the head and treating the shaft as if it were a Popsicle. Link looked too big to actually fit in his mouth, but he soon proved that thought wrong by wrapping his lips around the massive girth. Rhett only took in the head of the cock, sucking gently and enjoying the new intimate flavour and the weight of it on his tongue. His lips felt stretched tight and he did not attempt to go any further. He pulled off slowly, sucking hard and making a wet popping noise.

“I think,” he mused, “I’d have to practise quite a bit before I’m good at this.” Even just the tip of Link’s dick seemed to fill his mouth. He couldn’t imagine trying to take in more. 

“Put it back in your mouth,” groaned Link, his hips rolling restlessly. “I’m gonna explode if I don’t come soon.”

“Patience,” Rhett said, his lips still right up against Link’s shaft to let the vibrations of his voice drive the man mad. “I don’t want to get you too excited and have this day be over too quickly.”

“Dangit, Rhett!” Link took his cock in hand and rubbed it against Rhett’s cheek. He patted Rhett’s closed lips, smearing more of his clear fluid across them. “Open up?”

“No way. I’m in charge here, and it’s my turn.” Rhett grinned roguishly and stood up to get his own pants off. He was just as hard as Link and his balls already felt hot and tight and achy with the strain of holding back. Eager, he climbed onto the bed and made to straddle Link’s middle.

“In charge, is that right?” Link grabbed his shoulders and rolled Rhett onto his back instead. His weight settled easily on Rhett’s larger body. “Who’s in charge now, huh?”

“Still me,” Rhett teased, reaching up to pinch a nipple. Link mock-gasped and returned the favour, grinning when Rhett moaned. 

“You’re really desperate, aren’t you, baby?” Link asked, positioning himself so that their cocks pressed against each other. Link was still damp with Rhett’s saliva and slid easily along Rhett’s rigid flesh. He rolled his hips and made Rhett moan again.

“Link, this isn’t enough. I need more.”

Link moved backward, sitting on Rhett’s legs. His pupils were blown wide. “Oh,” he breathed. “I have an idea.” 

Both men gasped in pleasure as Rhett’s cock slipped up between Link’s thighs. Link, his eyebrow lifting in challenge, sat up and tucked his knees more tightly together. His smooth thighs gripped Rhett’s cock, all heat and sweat-slick skin and teasing pressure around the hard length. Rhett stared at Link, shocked at how good it felt to fuck up into the crease of his partner’s thighs. Link stared back and began to use his leverage to bounce himself up and down. 

This wonderful friction continued until Rhett made a warning noise and Link stilled, opening his thighs enough to let Rhett slip free. 

“Get up here,” Rhett said roughly. 

“Get up where?” Link was lost.

Rhett grabbed for Link’s hips and pulled hard, encouraging Link to shuffle further up and straddle Rhett’s chest.

“Oh, I get it,” Link grinned. He shifted his weight onto his knees, took his cock in hand, and used the other to grab tightly onto the headboard so he could lean forward and press the velvety head to Rhett’s lips. Rhett gave it a few obliging licks and then seized Link more firmly, pushing him even closer to the headboard. The man’s sack dragged across Rhett’s tongue and he pulled his face back so his rough beard wouldn’t scrape the sensitive skin there.

“Okay, I don’t get it. Where do you want me?” Link queried.

“On my face,” Rhett demanded.

“What!”

“Grab the headboard and lift a bit of your weight up.”

“Rhett, this is…” Link sounded nervous. “Okay, I’m a little self-conscious, I don’t know if…”

Rhett was relentless. He knew what he wanted and he was determined to get it. “Grab the headboard, Link.”

Link did so. He hovered just out of reach, straddling Rhett’s face with his cheeks blushing prettily. “Uh, tell me if you can’t breathe. Or slap me or something.” He gave a high-pitched giggle.

“Just sit down,” ordered Rhett, grabbing the man by the hips to pull him closer. “I want to taste you.” 

Link widened his stance to have some balance on his knees and sat back on Rhett’s face tentatively. “Fuck, fuck, oh, wow. This is – ” Link’s voice was high and thin. “This is…weird, but…Are you going to – ?”

Rhett stretched his tongue out as far as it could go and licked Link’s ass firmly. 

“Rhett!” Link cried, his little body trembling. “Oh, my God!”

It was unbelievably hot to have Link’s creamy thighs on either side of his head, the man’s ass filling his field of vision, the smell of sex overwhelming and the intimate taste too good to handle. Link rocked himself back and forth, fucking himself on Rhett’s tongue, crying out meaningless words and vulgar curses. Rhett could feel the man getting more into the act by the second. His tense muscles loosened and his voice grew deeper, and soon Link was moaning shamelessly and rubbing his opening against Rhett’s mouth.

Rhett couldn’t speak, could barely groan, could hardly _breathe_. Link arched backward and Rhett took the man’s smooth balls into his mouth, one at a time, his tongue gently rolling against them. When Link moved forward again, his spit-slick skin gliding over Rhett’s face, he formed his tongue into a little pointy spear and plunged it past the tight ring of muscles. He did it again when Link made a delicious cry, and then again, and again…

“Will you just fuck me already?” Link begged, his voice rough.

Rhett froze. Slowly, he used his feet to push himself further up the bed. Link shifted backward and hovered over Rhett’s chest. They stared at each other for a long time and then moved as one, Link dismounting and settling on his back as Rhett smoothly rolled on top and propped himself up on his elbows. 

“Holy crap,” Link panted. “What in the world…”

“You liked it,” Rhett’s voice was rusty. 

“I did.” Link bit his lip shyly. “I never would have imagined that would be so hot. If I hadn’t been holding myself up with my arms I would have started touching myself and this would have been over in seconds. Goodness! Is that something you’re into?”

“It is now.” Rhett’s mind was blown, too. He had no idea where these carnal urges were coming from. He had the feeling that he’d be up for literally anything if it made Link feel good. “We’ll have to do it again. But you did ask me for something else, and I’d like to give it to you.”

Link arched his neck up, begging for a kiss. Rhett obliged, naturally. Link didn’t seem to mind the taste of himself on Rhett’s lips and he moaned when their tongues met and intertwined. They kissed and rutted slowly, the very air around them tense with apprehension and excitement.

“Alright,” Link whispered as they broke apart. “I’m ready, Rhett.”

“Are you sure?” Rhett asked, looking into Link’s eyes before kissing a trail down his torso and enjoying the tactile sensations of his beard against Link’s chest hair. “If you’re not, it’s okay. We have all the time in the world.”

Link moaned as Rhett’s mouth reached his navel and began to explore the sensitive area with his tongue. “Please,” he said hoarsely, “please, yes, I want it. Want you inside me, Rhett. Do you have…”

“I have lube.” He’d grabbed some from the drug store earlier in the week. 

“And I have a condom,” Link bit his lip. “In my wallet.”

“Do we need one?” Rhett asked. “I know neither of us have anything. I mean, unless you want me to wear it.” 

Link shook his head quickly. “No. I don’t know. I don’t have any concerns, myself. I thought maybe…if you think there’s anything gross about this…it might be cleaner.”

That thought hadn’t even entered Rhett’s head. “Of course not, man. I hadn’t even – I’ll probably be too distracted to notice, even if it did get messy. It’s no big deal. If you’re okay with it, I’d rather not bother wearing one. I think it’ll feel better for both of us.”

Link nodded and ducked his head, suddenly shy. “That’s good, because I – well, I cleaned myself before you picked me up, but I’d never done it before, so I don’t know if I did it right.” When Rhett only stared, he added dryly, “With an enema, Rhett.”

“No, I got that – just, wow.” It was ridiculous how hot that thought made him. Link, getting ready for their first date, getting ready to have Rhett make love to him, maybe anticipating the feeling of being penetrated as he reached between his legs to slip the enema nozzle in. 

“Is that like, a thing for you?” Link demanded, looking faintly intrigued as he studied Rhett’s reaction. “Enemas? You are way more kinky than I would have guessed.”

“The thought of you getting ready for me,” Rhett specified, his cheeks growing warm. “Not enemas themselves. Just you, all alone, thinking of what’s gonna happen after our date…” 

“In that case…” Link leaned in and nuzzled at Rhett’s ear. His hot tongue traced a line down the side of Rhett’s neck. “Maybe I should tell you how I fingered myself in the shower last night, thinking of your huge dick stretching me open.”

“Oh, fuck, _Link,_ ” Rhett shuddered, the curse word falling from his mouth before he could hold it back. He rarely swore, and it made Link bark out a surprised laugh into his neck. 

“I bet your fingers would feel better than mine, if you wanna start with that,” Link suggested.

“Okay. Okay, gosh, hold on.” Rhett reached for the nightstand and grabbed the tiny clear plastic bottle. His own hands were shaking and he accidentally spilled some on Link’s chest as he attempted to coat two fingers with the slippery substance. “Oops.”

Link made a face and tried to scoop up the spilled lube with a finger. “Don’t be nervous, Rhett.”

“I’m not nervous. Just excited.” Rhett spread Link’s legs open and traced a finger from his balls to his asshole. “Tell me when.”

“Do it,” Link said confidently.

Rhett slowly applied pressure until the tip of his index finger slipped inside. Link moaned and spread his legs wider, encouraging Rhett to keep going until the digit was knuckle-deep. “What does it feel like?” he asked. “Do you like it?”

“It’s a little weird, but good,” Link assured him, his brow creasing. “Try moving a little?”

Rhett moved the finger in and out, growing accustomed to the feel of Link’s passage. As time went on, he could almost feel Link’s body pulling him inside with each thrust in. Knowing that he was the first person to ever touch Link in this way was exciting. “So soft and silky,” he commented. “I can’t wait to be inside you, and to have you do this to me next time.”

Link’s eyes were half-closed in his pleasure. “Me neither. Try…try putting another one in there. Slowly.”

The second finger was more of a stretch. Link winced as it pushed past his rim. Rhett stopped immediately but Link shook his head. “I’m fine. It’s just intense.”

“I bet.” Rhett stared at where his fingers were disappearing inside Link’s body. “Wow, Link, this is so hot.”

“It’s better than when I did it to myself,” Link agreed, and moaned breathily as Rhett twisted his hand and rotated the fingers inside him. “I don’t know if I need any more prep, to be honest. I want more.”

Rhett pumped his hand in and out a few more times for good measure, liking the way Link touched his cock gently at the feeling. “You still feel pretty snug. Just a little more relaxed.”

“I told you I have a tight anus,” Link teased faintly. “Come on, give me what I asked for already.”

Rhett pulled his fingers free and stoked the puckered rim gently, unsure of what to do next. Link was still so _tight_ , impossibly tight, and Rhett’s cock was a lot bigger than two of his fingers. Surely he couldn’t fit himself inside without hurting his lover. “How do we…how do you want…”

Link spread his thighs and bent his knees, pulling Rhett’s arm with a little grin to help him fall perfectly into place between. The position brought his slick cock up to slide up Link’s cleft, the head rubbing against Link’s smooth balls. “Like this, I think,” the brunet said impishly, and as Rhett gave a startled moan, added, “You like that, huh?”

“Yes, gosh, Link, _look at you_ ,” Rhett’s cock twitched as he took it all in; Link’s big cock lying against his pale little stomach, his hair flattened and mussed, his arms falling submissively over his head and clutching at the headboard. He looked smaller in the middle of the huge bed. Rhett’s cock dragged along Link’s slim inner thigh, leaving a shiny trail. He kissed the line of Link’s jaw and worked a hand between their bodies to stroke Link’s manhood. He meant to keep the touch brief, but the weight of the cock in his hand was intoxicating and he increased the pace until Link was moaning.

“Fuck me,” Link pleaded, rocking into the touch. “Rhett, please, I don’t want to come yet. I need to feel you inside me.”

Rhett groaned. “Link, that mouth on you is going to be the death of me. I just…I’m scared of hurting you. You’ll tell me right away if it’s too much, right?” He opened the bottle of lube and drizzled a good amount into his palm, stroking himself to distribute it evenly.

“Of course. You won’t hurt me, Rhett. You’ll be so gentle…at least, at first.” He grinned. “After I’m used to it, I want to watch you lose control and give it to me hard, just like you promised the other day.”

The memory of Link on all fours, begging for it, his sweet ass lifted high in the air, almost made him groan out loud. _I like it rough,_ Link had moaned, awakening all of Rhett’s dominant tendencies and making him feel primal and wild. But this time, Rhett couldn’t help but be apprehensive. _What if I’m bad at this? What if he doesn’t like it? What if I hurt him? He expects me to be gentle. He trusts me so much._

Link took matters into his own hands and used the legs wrapped around Rhett’s back to tug him closer, aiming his stiff prick right at his waiting hole. It was just like before, when Rhett had pulled Link’s underwear off and pressed the head of his dick against the tiny opening presented to him, except this time he was covered in lube and Link’s ass was slick and open from his thick fingers. “Golly,” Rhett breathed suddenly. “This is really happening. We’re really gonna make love.” His cheeks immediately flushed warmly as he realized how silly he must have sounded.

“What, did the whole me sitting on your face thing not drive it home for you?” Link asked, deadpan.

Rhett stared at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. Link’s face turned gleeful and then he was laughing too. It was a sweet and silly moment, and it worked wonders to boost Rhett’s confidence. It was comforting to know that they could still joke around with each other, even while sharing such an intimate moment. It reminded Rhett that no matter what happened, they’d always be best friends. Together, they could do anything. 

“Alright,” Rhett finally said as the chuckles died down. His dick was still in position, waiting, as hard as it was before. “You ready, Link?”

Link looked up at him, his blue eyes fiery and desperate, and gave a short, jerky nod.

Rhett moved forward, watching Link’s face closely as the head of his cock slipped inside. It was immediately overwhelming, tighter than a vice, hugging Rhett’s length like a fist gripping him firmly. Shocks of pleasure rocked through his body as he physically _felt_ Link’s ass accept the intrusion, drawing Rhett’s manhood deeper.

Link’s mouth dropped open and his eyes seemed to bulge slightly. “Wow,” the smaller man gasped as his hips moved restlessly from side to side. “You feel even bigger than you look.” He moaned, his lower lip clenched between his sharp teeth as he put a hand on Rhett’s hip. The short nails grazed Rhett’s skin as Link clutched him desperately.

Rhett couldn’t decide which was hotter – Link’s face as he was being penetrated for the first time, or the sight of his rigid flesh sinking deeper into Link’s tight hole. “Are you sure I’m not hurting you?” he asked in amazement. 

“No, no,” Link assured him hastily. “Just keep going slow, like that. It’s perfect. Don’t stop now. I want to feel all of you in there.”

Rhett gave him what he wanted. He pressed himself forward, sliding inside inch by inch, as Link gulped air and let every breath out with a moan. 

“I’m so _full_ ,” Link gasped. “Is that all of you?”

“Almost, baby, just a little more,” Rhett assured him, his voice a little strangled from the effort it took not to start thrusting. He leaned forward and pushed himself in to the hilt. Link’s eyes scrunched shut and Rhett stilled, seeing the discomfort on his face.

“Okay, I’m okay,” Link gasped before Rhett could ask. “Just stay still until I tell you.”

“Anything you want,” Rhett told him, brushing hair off the man’s sweaty forehead. “Do you know how good you look right now?”

“Shameless flattery,” Link grinned weakly, slowly moving his hips from side to side. “It’ll get you anywhere.”

“I mean it,” Rhett insisted. “I wish you could see yourself right now. I wish you could see what it looks like. Your tight ass, just taking my cock so easily.”

“I wish I could, too.”

Slowly, Rhett pulled out and pushed back in just as carefully, a shallow thrust. Link gasped again and lifted his legs higher around Rhett’s waist. “Rhett, Rhett, please, oh, Rhett, again,” he whispered, and Rhett did as he was told. He bent to kiss Link softly then hard and messy, and soft again. His control began to fade, and he felt as though he was drowning. Their movements remained slow and tender until Rhett shifted his knees and thrust in at a different angle, and suddenly Link’s body went taut and his eyes flew open.

“Rhett!” he cried. “Oh, my goodness, what was that?”

“Right there?” Rhett carefully maintained the angle and drove in again, more firmly. Link gave a strangled moan. “Is that it, baby?”

“Is that what my prostate feels like? Why have I gone all my life not knowing about this?” Link stared up at Rhett in astonishment. “Can you keep going, get a little rougher?”

Rhett braced himself and raised an eyebrow. “I think I can.”

“ _Rhett_ ,” Link moaned, head falling back as Rhett began to fuck him in earnest. “Yes, gosh, just like that, _oh_ , that’s the spot right there, oh, my _God_!”

Rhett leaned up and put his hands on either side of Link’s head to support himself. It was so cliché, staring into somebody’s eyes, but Rhett could not look away. Link’s beautiful, expressive face conveyed his wonder and his pleasure. He pushed up to meet each thrust, desperate and eager.

“So dang hot, Link,” Rhett groaned, the sweet friction increasing with every moment and Link’s ankles locking tight around his back. He didn’t know how long he could last like this. The sensations washing over him were just shy of too intense. Sweat beaded his skin and rolled down his back as he thrust forward again, making Link arch up off the bed. They moved together, perfectly in sync, as if they were one person instead of two. 

“Harder, Rhett,” Link demanded, his hands struggling to reach Rhett’s ass as if to slam the other man deep inside. “I want it harder, I want it deeper, please, baby, fuck me good and rough.”

“Put your legs up, on my shoulders,” Rhett suggested, and Link struggled to obey. Rhett helped him get into position, and suddenly everything felt even better, as impossible as that seemed. Link felt himself become tighter around Rhett as well and let out a cry. 

It was easier for Rhett to thrust all the way in from this angle. “Is this what you wanted, Link?” he asked breathlessly, pulling out teasingly and ramming his hips forward hard. Link actually _screamed_ , a gorgeously sharp and primal noise. 

“Yes!” he cried. “Fuck, Rhett!”

Rhett leaned down, bending Link nearly in half, and let himself go. The sound of skin slapping against skin was louder than the sounds of the bedspring creaking frantically and the headboard bouncing off the wall. Link was helpless beneath him, his face contorted in ecstasy as he shuddered and wriggled and chanted Rhett’s name.

It was too much, it was too good. Rhett tried to hold back at the last second and couldn’t. Link’s nails raked down his back, sweet sharp pleasure and exquisite pain, and Rhett bit down on the man’s neck as he thrust deep and came hard with a long quavering groan.

“Link,” he rumbled into the damp skin when he was finished. “That was so good, Link. Did you feel that?”

“Your come shooting up in me? Yeah, I did.” Link rocked impatiently. “Can you keep going?”

Rhett stayed buried deep, slumped heavily against Link’s body. “Oh, my goodness,” he sighed. “Oh, fuck, Link, I don’t know.”

Link whimpered, wriggling down on Rhett’s spent cock. “Rhett, I need you, I need to come. Help me come, please, baby, I’m so close.”

“Shh, I know.” His manhood was far too sensitive. He withdrew himself slowly, and the only mess was a trickle of come and a lot of excess lube. Link whimpered again and his hole clenched needily, spilling more come down the cleft of his ass. Rhett didn’t leave him waiting for long. It was easy to push two fingers inside, and then a third, and Link gave a stuttering cry as Rhett’s other hand grabbed his cock and began to stroke him hard and fast to the rhythm of his rocking hand.

“I love doing this to you,” Rhett said hoarsely. It was easier to enjoy Link’s wonderful reactions from this position. “I love making you feel good. Next time I’m going to play with you for hours, tie you to the bed and lick you open, see how many fingers you can take.”

“You can…you can try fitting in a fourth,” Link panted. “I think I can take it.”

“Yeah?” Rhett tucked his pinky tight against his ring finger. Link had loosened up a fair bit from the rough fucking, but it was still a snug fit. “You sure, baby?”

Link’s chest heaved as he inhaled deeply. “Do it.”

The passage was dripping wet and Rhett’s last finger slid in with hardly any resistance after a few moments’ pressure applied to the rim. Link shuddered and moaned, wriggling down on Rhett’s hand and then pushing up into his fist. He looked absolutely wrecked. His hair was every which way and his lower lip was reddened from kissing. His cheeks bore red splotches as well. _Beard burn_ , Rhett thought. The insides of Link’s thighs were similarly marked. It was an arousing sight.

“This enough to make you come?” Rhett demanded, pumping the hand on Link’s cock up and down firmly while shoving his fingers in the man’s ass knuckle-deep. “Gonna come for me, Link?”

But Link had been pushed past coherency. He clawed handfuls of the sheets and scratched at Rhett’s arms and thrashed his head back and forth on the sweat-soaked pillow. 

“I’m gonna take that as a yes.” Rhett released Link’s cock and swiftly bent his head down to take as much as he could handle into his mouth. At the same time, he rotated his wrist and patted his fingertips around inside Link’s come-covered passage to directly stimulate the sensitive gland in there. Link’s hips twisted and arched up, pushing half his length into Rhett’s mouth and bumping up against the back of his throat. Rhett gagged, but held steady as he felt the hardness swell even further, knowing Link was close. He was ready for it but it was still a surprise as an incredible amount of thick salty liquid filled his mouth and spurted down his throat.

When the last few drops had been milked out by Rhett’s searching tongue, he pulled his lips off of the man’s flagging erection and withdrew his fingers very carefully. _I can’t believe that fit,_ Rhett thought, staring at the width of his fingers and then glancing at Link’s open, stretched hole. 

“Rhett, oh, my God,” Link stared at the ceiling, his body twitching through the aftershocks. “Am I still alive?”

“I devoutly hope so.”

Link giggled tiredly and managed to slow his heavy breathing. “Gosh, I feel so wet back there.”

“Sorry, brother,” Rhett chuckled. “I think I went a little overboard with the lube. Is it sore?”

“Better too much than not enough, I guess. And I’m a little sore but it’s not too bad. I’ll get a towel or something,” Link tried to sit up, and the effort of moving showed on his face.

“You rest,” Rhett ordered. “Let me do the work.”

“The mess – ” Link began to protest, but weakly.

“I’m on it. Don’t you move.”

“Yes, sir.” Link flopped back down gratefully. “Thanks. I don’t really know if I can walk. We can take a nap, right? We have enough time left?”

“We have a few hours still. I’ll set an alarm.”

He grabbed towels from the bathroom and hastily wiped up the worst of the mess from the sheets and their bodies. Link took the smaller towel and rubbed it quickly between his legs, blushing at the awkwardness of cleaning himself there with Rhett watching. When Link shuffled over to the side to give Rhett room to lay beside him, there was a small wet patch from where Rhett’s come was dripping out of him, but he paid it no mind. The sheets could be washed later. Rhett cleaned himself off as well and threw the towels carelessly into the laundry hamper. Only then did Rhett allowed his exhausted body to fall onto the mattress.

Link mumbled something unintelligible and snuggled up to Rhett’s body. He gave a great yawn. “Love you, Rhett,” he managed to say, his voice deep and thick with exhaustion

“I love you too,” Rhett told him, kissing the man’s sweaty forehead tenderly. By the time Rhett had gotten comfortable, Link’s mouth was already slack and hanging open slightly. He was dead asleep.

Rhett loved Link’ ability to pass out cold in under a minute. He propped himself up on an elbow and studied his best friend’s peaceful face. Sweaty, unshaven, dishevelled, and smelling like sex and faint body odour, he was still more beautiful and alluring than any man had a right to be. This was the man he loved, and who loved him back. Could he get any luckier?

They had a lot to learn about each other and how to navigate being friends, business partners and boyfriends all at once, while being caring husbands to their respective wives, and attentive fathers to their children. It was a daunting idea, and no doubt some people would think they were crazy for trying to make it all work. But, looking at Link with his dark hair fanned out over the pillow and his cute pink mouth hanging open as he slept, Rhett felt confident that things would work out for the best. Somehow, even though Link was the anxious one, Rhett felt calmer and stronger in the man’s presence. It had always been that way, since they first met. Link supported him, believed in him, looked up to him and thought he was funny when nobody else did. From their behaviour in public, an outsider might conclude that Rhett was the one who took care of Link, but Rhett knew better. Link was the one who’d always taken care of _him_ , by being loyal and loving and most of all _trusting_ with such fierce conviction that it gave Rhett the confidence to trust himself. Maybe Link needed bandages and soothing touches and a patient steady hand to help heal his minor wounds, but the only remedy Rhett would ever need was the look of love and wonder in Link’s face when they gazed into each other’s eyes. Together, they were invincible.

Rhett laid his head on Link’s strong shoulder and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your wonderful reactions to this fic, for all the kudos and comments, and for having patience as I set this fic aside temporarily.


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